Eye Drops For Glaucoma

[Mum to Emma]

Has anyone had experience treating their dog for glaucoma? The pressure has come right down using a combination of drops but I'm finding that my girl's eye is constantly sore and will suddenly become watery, hours after the last drops were administered.

I've read here and elsewhere that dogs are so much happier when the troublesome eye is removed. Am beginning to think that this is the only thing that will give her true eye comfort for her remaining few years.

Does anyone have experience with prothetic eyes in their dog. What is the likelihood of ongoing complications? My priority with treatment is what will give her the most immediate comfort.

BTW, she has little if any vision in this eye.

Edited October 6, 2013 by Mum to Emma

[Pretty Miss Emma]

Get in touch with *kirty* if she doesn't come and read here, she will be able to help you out with this.

Anyway, yes I've had some experience. Mine was a little different to straight glaucoma as my Emma had cataract surgery and then a myriad of issues of which high eye pressure was one. I wonder if the "suddenly watery" is actually the fluid being released from the eye. My girl was on about 3 or 4 different types of eye drops 2-3 times per day to manage the eye pressure. She was scheduled to have a gentomycin (I think that's how you spell it) injection in to her eye 2 days after she died because I didn't want her putting up with the pain of the high pressure and we were constantly at the eye specialist having the fluid drained. Anyway, gentomycin basically kills the eye, you can leave the eye in place but it has 0 function and it will shrink a little in size. I was going for this option because I didn't want to have the eye totally removed and I was not wanting to put her under a GA again at that point.

I do know a dog that had his eye removed and no prosthesis put in. He looks and does fine (struggling a bit now as he is losing vision in his remaining eye due to age). If you are getting a prosthesis I believe you need to have the surgery through an ee specialist, but just eye removal can be done by your normal vet. and I think it all comes down to aethetics and what you would like, there really is no benefit to the dog in having a prosthesis.

In terms of most immediate comfort I would say either removal of the eye or deadening of the eye (appparently deadening is much more common overseas than it is here, most people just remove the eye here). While it may be a little traumatic for both of you at the time my understanding is in the longer term it will probably be a lot easier and less maintenance than trying to keep an eye with glaucoma healthy.

Good luck.

[silentchild]

My previous Rotty girl Emma had glaucoma in one eye and was causing her a lot of discomfort. She was basically completely blind in that eye from it. The pressure was through the roof. None of the eye drops worked for her, and we had to have the eye removed. It all happened very quickly. We didn't have a prosthetic eye put in either on the advice of our eye specialist. She was much more comfortable once the eye was removed and recovered well and quickly. She adjusted to having only one eye remarkably well - you wouldn't even know she was missing one unless you looked at her. Sometimes she might accidentally bump her head on something she didn't see but nothing major. We were the ones that had to get used to her new 'look' - but she was happy and still beautiful to us, so it all worked out for the best. Her remaining eye remained fine and healthy until her death.

All the best to you.

Edited October 6, 2013 by silentchild

[Guest Ams]

I have two blind dogs in rescue atm. One arrived with his eyes already removed (Grosby) and the other still had his eyes but was blind (Ronnie). He was diagnosed with glaucoma and he hated having the drops so I made the decision to remove both his eyes. Being rescue I can't afford to put prosthetic eyes in. Apart from the expected discomfort for a few days after surgery he hasn't shown that he cares at all. I made up a rough bump harness for his to protect his eyes prior to surgery and then again post surgery to stop sticks and twigs from poking at him but 5 days post surgery he didn't need it anymore. Ronnie was on antibiotics after his surgery and had no complications at all. Ronnie takes approx 12 hours to map out any new house and can successfully and safely navigate stairs within a few hours.

Both dogs are able to roam freely on my acreage and find their way back home. Obviously they are not permitted in the dam yard but they certainly are able to go anywhere else they want to.

[piper]

A friend of mine has a girl who has had an eye removed due to Glaucoma - she was already blind from it in that eye but was so much happier one the eye was out.

[persephone]

Eye removal , I have found, instantly removes all that pain & discomfort :) the eyelids are left closed ..and dogs I've known heal up quickly and very happily :)

Not sure why you would want to try a prosthetic eye .... ?

[Jed]

Remove the eye, remove the pain. We all have 2 eyes, so if something happens to 1, we have a spare. Over the years, I have had horses and dogs with 1 eye. None of them had any problems whatsoever, the horse continued to compete in dressage. .... .. I would not hesitate to do it now.

[*kirty*]

What breed is the dog? Have you seen an eye specialist? If she has primary glaucoma, it is highly likely that she will get it in the other eye too unfortunately. I would get her checked by a specialist before you do anything.

Glaucoma is horrible and unfortunately even when the drops work, they only buy you time. Eventually the pressure gets out of control and surgery is required. If you know the other eye is going to go too, you can use drops to delay the onset. You will also know what to look for and if you pick it up in time, there is the option of laser surgery to control the pressure and save vision.

Re the prosthetic, some specialists think it is less painful because the optic nerve is not cut. It is also a nicer option for dogs that need both eyes removed. Some people can't handle the thought of a dog with no eyes, and apparently other dogs can have issues with dogs with no eyes. They generally heal very quickly and have few complications. Something to remember is that the dog still has its cornea so could still get an ulcer if it happened to get a scratch on the eye.

Edited October 7, 2013 by *kirty*

[Mum to Emma]

Thanks for your replies. Yes, she's under the care of an eye specialist. The glaucoma is secondary to lens luxation.

My concern is the constant discomfort caused by the eye drops. At nearly 13 years of age, do I wait until the discomfort worsens (as I sense it will) before surgery, or wait until she is older when the risks of surgery are greater. That is my dilemma. She is otherwise very bright and healthy for her age.

[*kirty*]

If she is already blind and it was caused by a lens lux, I would do the surgery now.