Last week Asa and I visited the dog ophthalmologist to have our eyes examined.  This wellness eye exam is beyond what our veterinarian Dr. Doug normally does during our annual physicals, so we had to go to a specialist.  Now before anyone gets worried, Mom and Dad are being overly cautious.  We have a family history of an eye disease called Golden Retriever Pigmentary Uveitis, which is controllable if caught early.  So off we went for a long drive to meet with our new best friend Dr. Marion.

Being older and wiser, and not to mention more susceptible, I went first.  Pigmentary uveitis tends to be diagnosed in Golden Retrievers age 8 or 9 years old.  Therefore, Mom and Dad were most worried about me at the ripe old age of 6.  I have to be honest, this exam was weird!  I assumed this test simply required reading an eye chart.  But boy was I wrong!  Instead I had to sit really still while Dr. Marion flashed a light in my eye, and wore some really cool looking glasses to see me better.  To put it in perspective, picture your Mom getting real close to take a photo of just one eye at a time, and using a flash!  Then Dr. Marion surprised me by shooting a puff of air in my eye to check the pressure.  Well I’m happy to report, my eyes are healthy and normal!

Next up was Asa’s turn, and let’s just say he really hated this exam.  He refused to sit still and flopped around like a fish out of water.  I offered to do the test again for him, but apparently it doesn’t work that way.  With a lot of coaxing, Asa eventually calmed down, and Dr. Marion was able to get a good look.  However, what she saw had her a bit troubled.  So Dr. Marion put eye drops in Asa’s eyes to dilate them.  He gets all the fun!  It took a few minutes for the eye drops to work, and Asa just sat there with the goofiest look on his face, blinking.  Then the ophthalmologist’s suspicions were confirmed.  Asa has cysts behind his irises!

Now don’t panic…which is what Mom wanted to do.  Asa is fine.  As Dr. Marion explained, iris cysts are common.  They are benign, fluid filled cysts that form in Goldens.  An iris cyst originates from the tissue on the back side of the iris, and then breaks loose and floats into the front chamber of the eye, behind the cornea and in front of the iris.  These cysts typically do not adversely affect vision, and Asa can go about his life and never have any problems.  However, this does mean though that Asa has a risk factor for developing Golden Retriever Pigmentary Uveitis.  But Dr. Marion emphasized this doesn’t mean Asa will ever develop this disease.  As she explained, all grapes are fruit, but not all fruits are grapes.  Ok, so I started daydreaming about food and stopped listening for a moment.  However, from what I gathered, all cases of uveitis have cysts, but not all cysts are uveitis.  Therefore, Asa can live his entire life with these cysts and never have a problem.

However, now that we know he’s been hiding them behind his big brown eyes, we need to monitor these cysts.  Glaucoma and cataract formation are the most common complications in Golden Retrievers with pigmentary uveitis.  Therefore early detection is important, along with regular monitoring, and treatment as necessary.  Unfortunately, there aren’t any treatments that will resolve the cysts.  However, there are medications to minimize complications if detected early.

For Asa her biggest concern was keeping the fluids in his eyes circulating properly.  Cysts can obstruct the flow of fluids in the eyes, making it possible for the cornea and the lens to stick together, and for pressure to build.  To prevent this Dr. Marion sent Asa home with his very own eye drops.  Each night before bed, Mom will put a drop in each eye to dilate the pupils.  The medication usually lasts 6 to 8 hours, so it’s best to do it at night before he goes to sleep.  This way he’s bright eye and ready to go for the next day’s adventure without any unnecessary squinting or blurriness.  Again, I want to emphasize that Dr. Marion, Mom and Dad are being abundantly cautious here.  Asa doesn’t necessarily need the eye drops just yet.  We know other Goldens with cysts who opted not to do the drops and are fine.  In two months Asa will go back to see Dr. Marion to establish a baseline and make sure there are no changes.  Then after that he’ll get rechecked every six months to a year, as necessary.

Now I want to emphasize, I’m not a doctor, and can’t answer any questions or concerns you may have about your dog.  We recommend having a conversation with your veterinarian and breeder.  For us, there is a family history of this genetic disorder.  Therefore, we had a reason to schedule a wellness eye exam.  However, it is also good as your dog ages to have the eyes checked anyways.  So although my eyes tested normal, I’ll have an annual eye exam to make sure there are no changes.  As for Asa, I promise to keep you updated on his eyes, and in the meantime please rest assured that he continues to be his happy-go-lucky, goofy self.