Dallas-Ft. Worth Labrador Retriever Club...
DFWLRC -Eye Disorders in Labrador Retrievers
Eye exams are a required health test for Labradors and must be performed by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist :
- All Potential or Active Breeding Dogs: CAER Exam
- All Potential or Active Breeding Dogs:Genetic Testing for prcd-PRA
- Optional -Genetic Testing for Stargardt disease
Labrador retrievers can be prone to genetic eye problems, including cataracts, glaucoma, progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), and retinal dysplasia. These conditions can cause vision loss.
Congenital and Inherited Disorders of the Ocular System In Dogs
Rod-cone degeneration (prcd-PRA) - The most common eye disease in Labradors is a late-onset form of progressive retinal atrophy known as rod-cone degeneration (prcd-PRA). Before the discovery of the gene mutation for prcd-PRA in 2005, breeders often bred carriers and affected dogs without realizing they were passing the disease onto future generations.
Stargardt disease is a degenerative eye disorder resulting from the progressive loss of the photoreceptor cells that are responsible for sensing light. Affected dogs show a decline in vision with age but appear to retain some vision throughout their life.
Cataracts in dogs are a disease of the eye lens that can cause vision loss. Cataracts happen in dogs both young and old. Causes include genetic inheritance (dogs with cataracts should not be used for breeding), metabolic disturbances rauma, nutritional imbalance (orphan pups on milk replacer), and chronic uveitis (an inflammatory disease of vascular tissue deep in the eye).
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES