Fascinating Facts Concerning Your Dog’s Vision

Dogs are wonderful creatures. They are very different to their feline counterparts but just as lovable – if not more. The world that our dogs see through their eyes is very different from the world that we see through ours. For our beloved dogs, the world is not as colorful a place as it is to us. Their point of view of the word is way less vibrant and grainier. Although this may be the case, they are also able to see things that we can’t even imagine seeing. Here are a few fun facts concerning your dog’s vision.

1. They can’t see all the colors that we can.Not long back, scientists were under the impression that dogs were indeed, colorblind. This however, is not the case. They can still see in color, their eyes simply follow a completely different spectrum. Our dogs have lesser cone receptors that are color sensitive inside their retinas. You could compare a dog’s vision to that of someone who has colorblindness for red and green colors. Dogs can still see red, it’s just not as vibrant in their eyes. Unlike humans, they’re accustomed to seeing more sepias and pastels. They can see a wider range of colors that we can.
2. Dogs don’t have eagle-eyed vision.Their vision isn’t 20/20. A dog’s vision is more like 20/75. What a dog would see from 20 feet can be likened to what humans see at 75 feet.To put this in people terms, dogs are nearsighted. Dogs are seeing in 75 percent fewer pixels than we are. They can still see, their vision is just a little more grainier than ours.
3. They have a wider field of vision than ours.Their field of vision is around 240 degrees while we only see 180 degrees of our immediate surroundings without turning our heads. This is only a rough number and can vary greatly from breed to breed. They have great peripheral vision. No wonder they were used for hunting many years ago.
4. Their vision becomes better during the night.Dogs are able to see just as well as cats during the night. Dogs have almost 7 times better vision than we do in the dark.
5. Your dog has a third eyelid.Shocker right? There are actual uses for his third eyelid and it’s not just there for fun. It serves the function of protecting the eye from external harm and it also produces tears.
6. Their eyes can give you an idea about their overall health.You can easily detect whether a dog has liver disease or not through their eyes. Just like in humans, jaundice can be recognized when the white parts of your dog’s eye turn a yellowish color. A change in their pupil size can also be an indication of an underlying medical issue.

Dogs are really interesting in all aspects of the word. They are loyal creatures who will never leave you in your hour of need. Their eyes are full of love and admiration for you.