Glaucoma is a group of diseases in which intraocular pressure (IOP) rises high enough to damage the retinal ganglion cells and optic nerve, causing pain and permanent blindness. In dogs it is one of the leading causes of irreversible vision loss, there is no cure, and many affected dogs go blind despite treatment (Komaromy 2019). For the NAVLE, the core skills are recognising the red, painful eye with a dilated pupil, measuring IOP, separating primary from secondary glaucoma, and choosing safe emergency treatment.
Key facts
Glaucoma at a glance- Species: dog (cats mainly get secondary glaucoma; Merck).
- System: special senses, eye.
- Cause: reduced outflow of aqueous humour (Merck). Primary glaucoma is inherited and usually angle-closure; secondary glaucoma follows uveitis, lens luxation, neoplasia, hyphema or intraocular surgery.
- Classic picture: a middle-aged American Cocker Spaniel or Basset Hound with one red, painful, cloudy eye, a fixed mid-dilated pupil and an IOP far above the other eye.
- Frequency: breed-related primary glaucoma reached 0.89% of purebred dogs at North American teaching hospitals in 1994-2002 (Gelatt and MacKay 2004).
- Not zoonotic and not reportable.
What's inside
12 sections in the full guide- Key facts
- How the NAVLE tests this
- Cause and pathophysiology
- Clinical signs
- Diagnosis
- Differential diagnoses
- Treatment and management
- Prevention and control
- Prognosis
- Quick review
- Test yourself
- References
The full guide also has 5 tables, 3 figures, 3 self-test questions and 23 references, available to NAVLE members.
Read the full study guide
The full guide is part of every NAVLE plan, with diagnosis and treatment tables, figures, a quick review and self-test questions. Start a free trial to try the question bank, or log in if you are already a member.