Eyesight problems for Jenna-need help

[Jenna AK]

Hello everyone.
I haven't been on the forum much, and I have now moved from Interior Alaska to Southwestern Oregon on the coast. I hope there are those who remember me still here?

My Jenna is now 8 1/2 years old. Within weeks of us arriving at our new home, I've had to take her to her new vet for the first time. She had the beginnings of otitis externa so we wanted to nip it in the bud. But what the vet noticed first was how wide her pupils were when a light was shined in them and wanted to know if our former vet had her vision tested. I said no need, she sees fine. Well the vet disagreed. She claimed Jenna was for all intents and purposes, blind.

Her pupils do not contract properly when light is shined in them. There is also talk of cataracts and possible pupil/iris adhesions. She did not say PRA, but I am devastated.

My vet back in Alaska was consulted and in light of his familiarity with her, he disagrees. A second opinion with another vet will be sought.

I have ordered a pair of lavender Doggles for her in the meantime to cut down on glare and bright light going straight into those wide open pupils till we can get to the bottom of this. She's been on a vegetarian diet for 4 years since coming down with vasculitis after eating a tainted dog treat. Could nutrition or prior illness have something to do with it or is this just a common thing with Yorkies? She's only 8 years old...isn't that a little young to be having such problems?

Any advice or experiences that anyone would like to share will be greatly appreciated. I'm absolutely gutted for my girl. She seems so much like she sees me just fine, but the thought that someday soon she might not is tearing me apart.

Many thanks in advance for all replies.

[Wylie's Mom]

Hi - great to see you!

So sorry for Jenna's issues. She is not too young for this. Many dogs get "juvenile cataracts" for no reason at all except genetics - my Wylie's started when he was around 4 or 5. He is now pretty much totally blind (he's 12), but has our house memorized quite well.

If there are cataracts, you must give Flurbiprofen drops -- as these drops are the prevention for the cataracts developing to glaucoma. If glaucoma develops, you may have to remove the eye entirely.

If the cataracts are candidates for surgery, that usually runs about $3500-$5000+, btw.

Keep us posted and best of luck!

[Jenna AK]

Thank you, Wylie's Mom. I am sorry to hear Wylie is also blind. 4 or 5 seems way young to have this begin to happen. It's great he's adapted so well over the years though, but how terrible that there are these kinds of issues for our sweet babies.

Do you mind if I ask, did his eyesight deteriorate quickly or was it over a long period of time? I wonder because although I know each dog is different, I'd like some idea of how long Jenna's current level of vision might last. She does squint in sunlight and her eyes tear a lot, but her 'grey' color to her pupils is not excessive, they just don't always contract properly and most of the time they are far to open, hence why I'm getting the Doggles. She tried a pair on at the vets and didn't seem bothered by them, so I'm hoping she'll like her own when they arrive.
I think she still has quite a lot of range of eyesight, but her depth perception is definitely off. She misses jumps to the couch and rolls off chairs. I think her distance vision is rather limited, but may always have been so.
I am alarmed at the prospect of enucleation, can you explain why her eyes would require removal? I understand glaucoma, it runs down both my and my ex-husband's family lines, but it seems to be different for dogs as to how it's approached. I'll take these concerns to whomever sees her next, but would like to be prepared to know what to ask the vet.

Also, is the medication you mentioned prescription or is that something OTC that I should be giving her now? I can imagine the difference between progression of blindness by PRA and glaucoma is a varied one time wise. Can only an ophthalmologist know for sure what she has? Could a regular vet diagnose her correctly? I want to chose her next vet or specialist carefully.

Sorry for all the questions. Thank you for your quick reply. I wasn't sure anyone remembered me. I wasn't a big presence here.

And OT but.... Is alaskayorkie still on the forum? I always felt like we were the only two Alaskans onboard. lol....