Diagnosis of Glaucoma in Dogs

In order to form a proper diagnosis for glaucoma in dogs, a veterinarian will have to follow several key procedures. Glaucoma is a progressive condition, and as such, requires immediate treatment after diagnosis to minimize the amount of damage to the eye that occurrs.

In most cases, a diagnosis for glaucoma in dogs requires certain procedures performed both by a veterinary doctor, and a veterinary optometrist. These procedures will allow a quick, simple and definitive diagnosis for glaucoma in dogs.

General Examination

The general veterinary exam is fairly important for any type of diagnosis. In this procedure, a veterinarian will attempt to gain a general knowledge of your dog's overall health. This involves checking your dog's blood pressure, testing the joints, and taking your dog's temperature. Other possible procedures performed during a general examination include inspection of your dog's eyes, ears, mouth, throat and skin. This inspection will help your veterinarian when attempting to form a positive diagnosis for glaucoma.

Patient History

This is perhaps one of the most important parts of a veterinary diagnosis for glaucoma. If your dog has been exhibiting symptoms, it is important for you to document the symptom, type of reaction, frequency and time that the symptom occurred. Remember, a veterinary visit only gives your veterinarian a brief amount of time to examine your dog. If you are able to provide additional information, it will help your veterinarian greatly when attempting to diagnose your dog for glaucoma.

General Eye Exam

In the case of medical conditions involving the eyes, it is common for a veterinarian to seek the advice of a veterinary optometrist. An optometrist specializes in recognizing symptoms of poor eye health, and will able to more easily identify if your dog is suffering from galucoma. Depending on the schedule of the veterinary optometrist, you may have to arrange for a separate appointment in order to have your dog's eyes examined by a professional.

Tomometry

This procedure focuses on measuring the intraocular pressure in a dog's eye. Due to the nature of glaucoma, a dog that is suffering from this condition will usually have elevated intraocular pressure. Because of this, these results will usually be indicative from a test using tomometry. However, due to the varying thickness of a dog's cornea, it is possible for the test results to be inconclusive, or to appear as a false positive.

A dog with a thicker cornea will always test for higher intraocular pressure than a dog with a thin cornea. Consult with your veterinarian, so you can decide if it is worth having your dog's intraocular pressure tested via tomometry.