Retinal Detachment Surgery for Dogs

If your dog is having problems with his vision, retinal detachment surgery may be something that you want to consider and talk over with your vet.

What Is Retinal Detachment?

This is a disorder that causes the retina (light-sensitive tissue located on the back of the eye) to fall away from the tissue supporting it. This is considered to be a very serious situation, as a lack of quick action and treatment can lead to the retina detaching itself entirely. This leads to vision loss and even complete blindness of your dog.

Causes of Retinal Detachment

There are multiple factors that can lead to this disorder, including but not limited to: 

• Injuries to the face or eye
• Diabetes
• Tumors
• Lupus
• Kidney disease
• High blood pressure
• Sickle cell anemia
• Poisoning
• A result of cataracts or cataract surgery
• Inherited genes
• Hyperviscosity syndrome
• Poor blood clotting
• Infections

Symptoms

There are a few things to keep an eye out for when concerned about retinal detachment.

• Eye fluid. Retinal detachment can cause fluid to build up in the eye, so you may notice that your dog's eyes have begun to leak or that they appear to have blood in them.
• Clumsiness. If your dog isn't able to see as well as usual, clumsiness is often an easy way to tell. Does your dog head in the wrong direction often? Does your dog walk into things? Does your dog often appear lost or confused?
• Dilated pupils. This disorder will cause pupils to become dilated. The dilated pupils will have little to no pupillary light reflex.

Retinal Detachment Surgery

Surgery is one of the most popular choices when it comes to treating retinal detachment. It is often very successful in either stopping the damage from continuing, or reattaching the retina if the disorder is caught soon enough - especially if the retina is not completely detached. There are several different kinds of surgeries.

• Pneumatic Retinopexy. This is when a gas bubble is injected into the eye. After this is done, freezing or laser treatments will be applied to the retinal hole. Moving the dog's head allows for the gas bubble to lay against the hole. Often, your dog will have to keep his head in the position for a few days, so that the bubble has time to attach itself and form properly. This will stop up the hole in the retina, though the position of the head makes it a poor choice of surgeries if the retinal problems are in the lower sections of the eye. In most cases, this surgery will be combined with laser photocoagulation or cryopexy.
• Scleral Buckle Surgery. A simpler surgery, this involves sewing one or several silicone bands to the outside of your dog's eyeball. This is so the eye will be pressed back against the hole, where it will be given a chance to reattach itself. These bands usually won't need to be removed. The most common problem with this surgery is that it stands a good chance of leaving your dog more short-sighted. 
• Vitrectomy. This is one of the more commonly used surgeries for retinal detachment. It removes the vitreous gel and often makes use of the same gas bubbles that are used in the pnuematic retinopexy. While your dog will suffer no short-sighted problems as a result of this surgery, there are higher risks for cataracts forming in the eye that required the surgery.

Which surgery is best for your dog depends upon what caused the disorder and how far it has advanced. Sometimes surgery isn't even necessary. To decide which course of action is best, you will need to speak to your veterinarian.