Function

• A dog's retina is the innermost part of its eye. Its main function is to collect visual messages through photoreceptors and transfer them to the brain so that vision can result.
  
  

Definition

• When the retina detaches, it separates from the supportive tissue that surrounds it and keeps it in place. When this happens, the retina is no longer able to collect visual images, and blindness may result.
  
  

Signs

• Affected dogs will exhibit the following symptoms: reduced vision, dilated pupils, blindness, and sometimes the appearance of a hemorrhage in the front portion of the eye. In advanced cases, the pupil will not react to light.
  
  

Considerations

• It may be difficult, in some cases, for dog owners to notice signs of retinal detachment without a careful inspection of the dog's eyes. Most dogs act normal when they have loss of vision in one eye because they compensate with their other eye.
  
  

Warning

• A detached retina should be viewed as a medical emergency. If treatment is delayed, the photoreceptors may die, causing irreversible vision loss.