Dog Blind in One Eye

Blindness is loss of vision. When a dog is blind in one eye you wouldn’t notice any behavioral changes as the dog continues to act normally. They can very well memorize their surroundings and are remarkably adaptable. So when they lose vision in one eye, their other senses compensate quiet a lot for the vision loss and you won’t realize it immediately. A dog, blind in one eye, behaves just like any dog with complete vision.

Dog Blindness Causes

Dog blindness has causes that could vary greatly and include conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma, uveitis, corneal disease, retinal inflammation and infection, and disease of the optic nerve and occipital cortex. Your vet will be able to examine your dog and identify the cause for loss of vision. Dogs usually rely on their hearing and smelling senses rather than vision. These senses become more acute as their eye sight fails.

One way to test a dog’s vision is to rearrange the room furniture and observe how the dog walks. If it walks with confidence without colliding with any furniture, its eyesight is normal. If it hesitates and collides with furniture, you need to get its eyesight checked. This is the most common symptom of a dog blind in one eye.

Dog Blindness Symptoms

If you are observant enough you will notice some common dog blindness symptoms.

• A dog may bump into objects from the side where it has lost vision. This is a very common thing that you will notice if it has lost vision in one eye. The dog may walk close to the wall on the side on which it is blind just for the comfort and support.
• A dog blind in one eye has lack of depth perception. So, such dogs may avoid climbing stairs or jumping from heights.
• A blind dog usually relies on its companions to compensate for loss of vision in one or both eyes. For example, a blind dog may follow another dog when outside in the yard.

Diagnostic Tests for Blindness in Dogs

• Complete blood count
• Blood pressure
• Electroretinography
• Serologic tests
• Cerebral spinal fluid tap
• Ultrasound examinations, CAT scans, and MRI.

You can treat the blindness successfully if you know the exact cause. Therapy for blindness always depends on an accurate diagnosis and treating the causative factor. Fortunately, dogs can live a very high quality life in spite of blindness. You need to take extra and special care of the dog and train it well so that it doesn’t face any trouble. If dog appears to become blind suddenly, this calls for emergency medical attention and you should consult a veterinarian immediately.

You can also read on blind dog training