GREENSBORO, N.C. — Many eye diseases sneak up rapidly with pets. It is quicker to progress than how it happens in humans and it can be extremely painful for your animals.
This is why it's important to keep an eye on their eyes.
Veterinarian and Ophthalmologist at All About Eyes, Doctor Kelly Sigle, said your pet's vision is critical to their health and well-being, so it's essential to know their eye health is in good shape.
Sigle said to be sure to check out your pet's eyes occasionally throughout the year.
If you notice persistent squinting or redness around their eyes, just to be safe, go have their eyes evaluated.
The same thing goes if your pet is bumping into things, having problems navigating, or looks to have cloudy eyes.
Also, she said to make sure you're taking your pets to their annual exams because your vet typically looks at their eyes to see if there are any abnormalities.
"It's very sad for people when an animal loses an eye because they feel like part of that relationship is harder, but certainly, we like to be able to have our pets see and if we can do everything we can to keep their eyes healthy and keep them visual I think it not only enhances their lives, but it also enhances our life," said Sigle.
Eye health was at the heart of an initiative that All About Eyes participated in during May, to give back to service animals.
The American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists and the providers that partner up with them donated their time to check out the eyes of service animals through their annual event.
It's a philanthropic event that provides free, ocular screening eye exams to qualified Service & Working Animals each May. These exams are provided by those members of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists who choose to participate and volunteer their time and resources.
The program benefits formally trained working animals who selflessly care for us all. Approximately 8,000 eye exams are provided across America, Canada, and Puerto Rico each May.
Since 2008, over 76,000 service animals have been evaluated. While some service animals have the all-clear and have no issues, others learned their animals need surgery or to begin preventative treatment.
It's these visits that are helping service animals take the proper measures before it's too late.
No matter if it's your pet or a service animal she said it's important to take your animal's eye health seriously.
If you see a concerning issue, don't hesitate to get it checked out.