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SUDDEN BLINDNESS

First broadcast on www.provet.co.uk  


This information is provided by Provet for educational purposes only.

You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

Sudden blindness is very distressing for both the animal and the owners.

When an animal suddenly develops blindness it becomes totally disorientated, it may panic and either refuse to move at all, or it may bump into objects such as furniture which it can not see when it does attempt to move around.

There are many causes of sudden blindness and a veterinarian should examine an affected animal as soon as possible to try to determine the underlying cause. Common causes of sudden blindness include :

  • Trauma to the head
  • Retinal disorders:
    • Chorioretinitis
      • Infections - Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP), toxoplasmosis, canine distemper (dogs), rickettsial infection (dogs), protothecosis and systemic mycosis
      • Immune-mediated diseases - uveodermatologic syndrome
      • Trauma
      • Cancer - rare  
    • Retinal detachment
      • Hypertension - eg secondary to renal failure
      • Hyperviscosity syndrome
      • Chorioretinitis
      • Trauma 
    • Sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome (SARDS)
  • Optic Nerve disorders :
    • Infections - toxoplasmosis, systemic mycosis, canine distemper (dogs)
    • Immune-mediated - Idiopathic optic neuritis
    • Granulomatous meningoencephalitis - (dogs)
    • Trauma
    • Cancer - bilateral is rare

In a few cases the blindness may be reversible if the underlying condition can be treated successfully, but in other cases the blindness is permanent.

Providing the cause of the blindness is not a life-threatening disease, animals soon accommodate  for their lack of vision and they can lead an almost normal life once they have learned the position and relationship of objects in their home environment.

 

Updated October 2013