Ophthalmology

Minor to severe eye care for pets

At Pittsburgh Spay & Vaccination Clinic, we are here to offer you care for your pets’ eyes. Our veterinarians perform comprehensive eye exams and are able to test for multiple commonly treated diseases of the eye, including (but not limited to) corneal ulcers, dry eye, and ocular inflammation.

Glaucoma Management

Glaucoma is a common condition in which the fluid pressure inside the eye increases, resulting in damage to the optic nerve, followed by loss of vision and blindness. There are two types of glaucoma. Primary, or chronic, glaucoma is hereditary or develops as your pet ages. Secondary, or acute, glaucoma develops as the result of an injury or illness. Because secondary glaucoma can progress rapidly, it is considered an emergency situation.

Symptoms of glaucoma to look for include:

• Redness in the eye
• Tearing or discharge
• Eye sensitivity to light
• Pain
• Cloudy-looking eye
• Bulging eyeball

At Pittsburgh Spay & Vaccination Clinic, we recommend that your pet receive a routine glaucoma exam as part of his or her regular wellness care. The exam is not only an effective screening measure for chronic and acute glaucoma, but it can also help set a baseline measurement of your pet's normal intraocular pressure (IOP). Establishing an IOP baseline is important because the normal measurement can vary between species, breeds, and even individual pets.

This is a noninvasive, simple procedure that should not cause your pet any pain or discomfort. We apply a mild anesthetic eye drop to ensure your pet is comfortable during the exam.

Dry Eye Diagnosis and Management

Decreased tear production is common in older pets, just like it is in people.
If tear production decreases you may see a build-up of dry, green mucous
on the eyelid margins, squinting, rubbing the eyes, and eventually corneal
ulcers or corneal pigmentation as the eyelids scrape across the dry
corneas.

A simple one-minute tear production test will diagnose Dry Eye in your pet.
The treatment varies with the severity of the condition, but eye drop
medications can stop the immune system attack on the tear glands,
allowing tears to start flowing again creating normal lubrication.

Dry Eye is a lifelong condition requiring often only once daily application of
medicated drops.

Call us at (412) 798-8770 if you think your pet needs an eye exam.