Asa here. Recently I had my biannual eye appointment to monitor for Golden Retriever Pigmentary Uveitis. I have fluid filled cysts in my eyes which are common in Golden Retrievers. These cysts typically do not adversely affect vision, but this does mean that I could develop Golden Retriever Pigmentary Uveitis, which is controllable if caught early. Armed with my note of questions from Mom and Dad, I bravely headed in to see Dr. Nick, my ophthalmologist, while they waited in the parking lot.

Before I share how my appointment went, I’d like to thank the vet tech who showed me which room to go to, and also helped to keep me from squirming during the exam. I was really excited, and was extra squirmy. Well that and no matter how many times I’ve had these appointments, the puff of air to my eye to test the pressure always takes me by surprise. Thank you for trying to keep me calm and focused. Speaking of focus, I think I may have misheard a few things. I wish Chuck Billy took notes, but he’s not as accustomed to getting his eyes dilated. Rather than help, he stood facing the wall in the exam room. I’m pretty sure too that he mistook a stool for a person, based on the way he pawed at it. But enough about him, here’s my eye update.

Dr. Nick said overall my eyes have no signs of active uveitis, but I do have cysts. Normally these cysts are just filled with fluid like a water balloon, but Dr. Nick noticed that one is filled with blood signifying inflammation. This made me worried. Will my eyes leak blood like in those scary movies Chuck Billy watches? Dr. Nick assured me that if it ruptured, we would know because my eye would be red and irritated, but no scary horror movie effects. He also said that if it happens I should have Mom contact him right away to avoid further complications. Now here’s where I think I misheard him. I could have sworn he said if this cyst bursts we need to monitor for among other things, guacamole. However, looking at his notes, I see he said glaucoma. Either one are bad for dogs, so I’ll try to avoid both guacamole and glaucoma. But how?

Apparently to reduce the inflammation I need to add to my eyedrops routine. Currently at bedtime I use eyedrops that dilate my eyes to prevent sticking to the cornea and lens, and steroid eyedrops to reduce inflammation. Going forward I need to have a second drop of the steroid in my irritated eye in the morning. This will help reduce the inflammation, hopefully allowing the eye to heal itself. This reminded me of the questions I brought in with me! I started using the steroid eyedrops 6 months ago, and Mom and Dad were concerned about the side effects. Sure enough their suspicions were correct. My weight gain may have been caused by an increase in appetite caused by the drops. Dr. Nick did say there is another medication recently approved that may reduce the munchies, but we all agreed let’s stick to the current plan and just monitor my weight. It was also at this time I mentioned how Mom noticed I was squinting more when outside. Dr. Nick confirmed it was well after the time the medicine to dilate my eyes has worn off, because that would make me very sensitive to light. After ruling that out, he asked if I noticed squinting more with one eye, to which I did recall a few photos where that was happening. He confirmed this was probably due to the blood-filled cyst.

This bloody cyst could cause serious vision problems if left untreated. Therefore, Dr. Nick wants to see me sooner in a few months, rather than wait the usual 6. As for Chuck Billy, Dr. Nick was pleased to say his eyes are “100% perfect!” I’m sure Mr. Perfect will be bragging about that for months to come, but that’s ok. I’m happy his eyes are “looking great!” especially for his age. Most dogs develop Golden Retriever Pigmentary Uveitis between the age of 8 and 9. Now here’s hoping we can keep my eyes in good working order for the foreseeable future too! If you’d like to learn more about Golden Retriever Pigmentary Uveitis, and what an eye exam for a dog is like, please see my earlier post, “That’s How Eye Roll.”