CATARACTS
Cataracts are the opacity to the lens of the eye. The opacity can be very small (incipient cataract) and not interfere with vision. It can involve more of the lens (immature cataract) and cause blurred vision. Eventually, the entire lens can become cloudy, and all functional vision lost. This is called a mature cataract. Most cataracts in dogs are inherited, if not age-related. The cataract may develop rapidly over weeks, or slowly over years, in one or both eyes. After a lens has developed a cataract, there is no known method to make the lens clear again. Immature and mature cataracts can be treated by surgically removing them. Glaucoma occurs in 30% of all dogs who have cataract surgery. Cockers can get cataracts as young as fourteen months of age (the result of the breeder not screening out the parents for eye problems). If you are considering adopting a Cocker Spaniel, be sure you are prepared for the high expense of cataract surgery (in Los Angeles it can cost up to $3,500 per eye).
