Troubled

[Lollipup]

I found the word I was looking for, capsular bag. The lens is removved from this. This link was helpful http://www.animaleyecare.net/diseases/cataract.htm

I was under the impression from work that you can't see at all without a lens in your eye. And as the whole lens needs to be removed to remove a cataract, a replacement is needed.

Different lenses give different types of distance, either distance, near or a combination of the two providing mono vision.

[*kirty*]

Yep, thats what I meant with thr smartie analogy - lens capsule is the shell, lens protein is the chocolate. :) When we don't put a lens in, we just leave an empty bag.

Dogs can see well enough to get around without any lens. When we remove a luxated lens, the whole thing is removed. Some dogs have bilat lens lux and they see OK.

[Pretty Miss Emma]

Kirty was one of Emma's favourite special caring people through all her eye troubles - she's a special person who gives lots of good advice about such things!!!

[Loving my Oldies]

At the risk of hogging the thread, but it is about eye surgery afterall. :laugh: :laugh:

Bunter was completely blind yet he rarely if ever bumped into anything. He found the doggy door all by himself just by following the other dogs. I didn't bother to teach him because I had Mufti at the time who couldn't manage the doggy door and so my sliding door was open most of the time.

He managed the stairs and ramp without any problems, and when it came time for walks, he would race like a mad things with all the others to the side gate. Similarly when I arrived home - he would be part of the greeting committee at the side gate.

Out on walks, I used a short lead and watched carefully for obstacles. I would slow down on our approach to the kerb and say: jump up or jump down.

When I fed him, I would tap his food bowl on the floor. He sure never missed that one.

The most fascinating part of the whole journey was that he required no adjustment time. That is, he woke up after the operation, he could see perfectly, he didn't misjudge distances and it was as though he'd always been sighted. One eye was more difficult to fix than the other, because the cataract was bigger and the whites of his eyes were bloodshot for a long time, but that is to be expected.

Our first walk after the operation was interesting to. I didn't slow down or anything when we came to our first kerb and he just took it in his stride as a normal sighted dog.

Yes, it cost a helluva lot, and my house will remain unpainted for several more years, but Bunter is a happy healthy boy, so what more could you ask.

Edited February 19, 2013 by Danny's Darling

[Lollipup]

Yep, thats what I meant with thr smartie analogy - lens capsule is the shell, lens protein is the chocolate. :) When we don't put a lens in, we just leave an empty bag.

Dogs can see well enough to get around without any lens. When we remove a luxated lens, the whole thing is removed. Some dogs have bilat lens lux and they see OK.

Thanks for explaining :)

Do you know what sort of vision they have with only the bag and whether it would work the same way in people? So interesting!

[*kirty*]

Aww thanks. Emma was the most beautiful girl and it broke all of our hearts when her surgery didn't go to plan. She rewrote the book unfortunately.

Most surgeries do go well, and I would do it on my own dog. But as with all surgeries, unfortunately there are no guarantees.

[Loving my Oldies]

We don't shave them here. :)

Poor little boy, he looks as though he has the troubles of the world on his shoulders.

[*kirty*]

Lollipup, I have no idea about people sorry. :) We can't ask a dog about their vision of course so we tend to simplify it into useful vision (doesn't bump into things, can navigate, find food, etc) and non-useful vision (bumps into things, can't find their way around, etc).

[mantis]

Lollipup, I have no idea about people sorry. :) We can't ask a dog about their vision of course so we tend to simplify it into useful vision (doesn't bump into things, can navigate, find food, etc) and non-useful vision (bumps into things, can't find their way around, etc).

As I posted earlier, I had severe cataracts, after surgery my eyesight is fantastic, can't see why it would be any different with dogs.