We have just returned from the ophthalmologist, the vet eye specialist. This
was the initial consultation to find out the situation with her eyes.
Learned a lot. In general: the cataract develops on the lens. In surgery, the lens is removed, with the cataract on it, and a new man-made implant lens is put in. After the surgery, eye sight is restored! Behind the lens is the retina. Not effected by the cataract. But in bichons and other small "bouncy" dogs, the retina can become detached. If this happens, you can not see. With a detached retina, it does not matter if the lens is OK or not, if the cataract is there or not. You can not see. The retina can become detached at any time. It could happen a week after the surgery. The surgery was a success, but the dog can't see. Sigh.
There is also a genetic predisposition to detached retinas. West coast bichons get this much more than east coast bichons.
I think Sugar is east coast, right? The breeder who turned her in was in Ohio.
That is what I told the eye specialist.
Now for Sugar. The left eye is completely engulfed by the cataract, and Sugar does not see out of that eye at all. No light gets in. The vet's high powered light could not penetrate the cataract, so the vet can't say what condition the retina is in. The right eye is slightly better, Sugar has about 25% of her vision in that eye. The retina behind the right lens looks good. So that eye will likely be having surgery.
The next step is 3 tests preliminary to surgery. They include ultrasound and
some other stuff. No anesthesia is involved. This will allow the vet to see
the retina clearly on both eyes, and to see the cataract and lens as well. Once we have that done, she - the vet eye specialist - will make recommendations as to whether or not to proceed with the surgery. We scheduled the tests for Jan 2d.
Keep fingers and paws crossed that the retinas look good on both eyes!!!
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Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent her way.
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