Ophthalmology

Your pet’s eyes are important to us.

An eye exam is always included as part of our annual exam. If we see anything that concerns us during this exam, we will investigate it further.  However, if you notice a problem with your pet’s eyes such as redness, increased discharge, squinting, cloudiness, or loss of vision, we have the ability to perform a more advanced ophthalmic exam. We can test for tear production, intraocular pressure, possible corneal defects, and more.

Tonopen

Glaucoma is a very painful condition for pets. Unfortunately, they can’t tell us when their eyes hurt. The ability to quantitatively test the level of pressure within the eye is crucial for the accurate and reliable diagnosis of glaucoma in animals. The tonopen allows us to do this without any discomfort for the pet.

Retinal exams

The use of an ophthalomscope allows us to examine your pet’s retina and fundus inside the eye. This can help with the diagnosis of a variety of conditions.

Staining

There are special stains that are safe to use within the eye. These stains can reveal if there are any defects in the surface of the cornea such as a scratch or an ulceration. These defects can be very hard to see without the benefit of staining and examination under a special light.

Neuro exam

The eyes and eyelids are controlled by specific parts of the brain. Sometimes certain nerves in the animal’s face may become paralyzed, leading to problems that may only effect one eye. A full neuro exam can test the function of these nerves and determine if there is a problem.