My 1 yr old GSD boy has been diagnosed with Lipid Corneal Dystrophy, ie fat deposits in the cornea's of his eyes. We saw a specialist, who said it was unlikely to get REALLY bad, and was unlikely to affect his vision, but also that it would be there always (he has gray marks, like smudge spots). He also has a very small cataract at the very back of one eye. She did say that a low fat diet might help but unlikely, does anyone have any experience of this? I have reduced the fat in his diet in any case.

Thanks
Kat

Hi Kat,

I have had this with two Rough Collies, the first of which it was present on her eye test one year and gone the next, despite me commenting on this to the tester and him looking again - so it can go!

It has never caused either of them any problems.

M.

Thanks M

I shall live in hope then I must admit, I would be happier if it went!

Kat

My Cavaliers have this & it is genetic. It never bothers them & the spots come & go. I do feel quite a low fat diet to them

I would worry much the dogs don't ;)

Lipid Corneal Dystrophy is also a clinical sign of Hypothyroidism. GSDs are second only to Golden Retrievers in purebreeds most commonly represented with Thyroid Disfunction. You should consider having a complete thyroid panel done by Jean Dodds, DVM who, although in the USA, undertakes testing for international clients. She has been studying canine thyroid problems for 25 years and has a wealth of information she can share in a consultation with your veterinarian if needed. See this site for more info: http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/HEMOPET.HTM.

Thank you everyone! My main concern is that I would like to do agility with him when he's older, and I wondered if it would impede him vision wise. I know the specialist said there is no vision impairment, but if you have grey smudges in the clear cornea, wouldn't it make the vision slightly hazy?

Kat

But a dog's eyesight is not the same as a human's The dog's primary senses are smell & hearing. So what would cause problems to you or I hasn't got the same effect on a dog, I often have the black "floaters"in my vision & it really bugs me but one of my Cavaliers had quite a large LCD spot & he never showed any signs of having trouble seeing the ducks in the garden & flushing them out

My cavaliers certainly have no problems with their vision whether the LCD are present or not

Don't forget also that we have much more colour vision than a dog

The retina, which covers the back of the inside of the eyeball, contains cones and rods-two types of light-sensitive cells. Cones provide color perception and detailed sight, while rods detect motion and vision in dim light. Dogs, which have rod-dominated retinas, see better in the dark than humans do and have motion-oriented vision. However, because they have only about one-tenth the concentration of cones that humans have, dogs do not see colors as humans do.

Dogs use other cues (such as smell, texture, brightness, and position) rather than rely on
color. Seeing-eye dogs, for example, may not distinguish whether a stoplight is green or
red; they look at the brightness and position of the light. This and the flow and noise of
traffic will tell the dog that it is the right time to cross the street.

The set of dog's eyes determines the amount of field of view and depth perception. Prey
species tend to have eyes set on the sides of their head because the increased field of view allows them to see approaching predators. Predator species, like humans and dogs, have eyes set closer together. "Human eyes are set straight forward while dog eyes, depending on the breed, are usually set at a 20 degree angle. This angle increases the field of view and therefore the peripheral vision of the dog."

However, this increased peripheral vision compromises the amount of binocular vision.
Where the field of view of each eye overlaps, we have binocular vision, which gives us
depth perception. The wider-set eyes of dogs have less overlap and less binocular vision. Dogs' depth perception is best when they look straight ahead, but is blocked by their noses at certain angles. "Predators need binocular vision as a survival tool," Dr. Hamor says. Binocular vision aids in jumping, leaping, catching, and many other activities fundamental to predators.

In addition to having less binocular vision than humans, dogs also have less visual acuity. Humans with perfect eyesight are said to have 20/20 vision-we can distinguish letters or
objects at a distance of 20 feet. Dogs typically have 20/75 vision-they must be 20 feet from an object to see it as well as a human standing 75 feet away. 

Thanks Moonmaiden, that was extremely useful. I don't think I will worry too much then. I must say, it doesn't seem to affect him at all, he races through the woods without a care in the world! Just can help being a worrier and a 'fixer' and I hate having something I can't fix.

Katrina