Do Dogs Need Prescription Glasses

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The short answer is yes; dogs need glasses. You do not know about it as canines do not read newspapers or drive cars. Eyesight problems in dogs are different from eyesight problems in people. In some cases,  wearing glasses may not help the dog.

You have a doubt as to whether your dog suffers from eye problems. There is a pressing need to confirm if indeed it is so. Unlike humans, who have to read an eye chart, dogs cannot read and communicate in human language. There are many symptoms which tell the dog's eyesight acuity. The list of such symptoms includes the animal dragging behind you when you walk and refuses to move if the animal founds itself in unfamiliar surroundings. The dog will also snap back if someone surprises it by touching. The canine will bump into objects in its path, and the eyes have big dilated pupils who do not get smaller when exposed to bright light. The dog also gets startled easily.

Many dog owners buy their canines doggy sunglasses; this is as the UV exposure will harm the eyes of the dog just as it will do to a human.

Correcting your dog's eyesight

Identification of the root cause is key to correcting the eyesight of your dog. Do visit a good veterinarian and avail of the treatments. It can help to slow the deterioration and preserve the existing eyesight. Glaucoma is quite common in dogs. This is the pressure increase inside the eyeball. The retina gets compressed, leading to damage, and the vision is consequently impaired. Cataracts make the lens cloudy so that light is unable to reach light-sensitive layers of the eye.

Many dogs suffering from hereditary diseases suffer retinopathy. This leads to the death of the retina, the vital light-sensitive layer. The incidence of hypertension results in the retina to lift away from the eye back. This results in blindness. As a dog owner, you should be alert if your dog changes its habits. An increase in thirst is a common occurrence of a dog slowly getting blind. Take the dog to the veterinarian. The medical professional can identify a number of underlying problems like Cushing's disease or diabetes, affecting the eyesight. Other than testing the eyesight of the dog, veterinary ophthalmological specialists employ a similar method used in human children when they are too young to converse. The eyesight of dogs is different than that of humans with canines at higher risk of suffering from degenerative conditions of cataracts, retina, or glaucoma. Another noticeable difference is that the dogs can well adjust ton their poor eyesight. The partial loss of vision is compensated by the animal's acute sense of hearing, smell, and touch.