Sight is one of the most vital senses for dogs, and losing it can have a profound impact on their quality of life. While dogs rely heavily on their sense of hearing and smell to navigate the world, these cannot fully compensate for vision loss. In particular, sudden blindness in dogs can be especially distressing, both for the pet and the owner. That’s why it’s crucial to recognize early signs of vision changes—prompt detection can sometimes help prevent temporary or even permanent blindness.
Dogs can suffer from conditions leading to either gradual reduction in vision or sudden loss of sight and total blindness.
Blindness in dogs is not uncommon and care must be taken to look for signs, suggestive that your dog is blind as this would require urgent medical attention. In this article we will cover a few conditions that can make dogs go blind overnight, almost instantly, and lead to sudden vision loss.
What can make a dog go blind overnight: 6 causes
A variety of conditions affecting either the eye itself or the brain (where the information for vision is processed) can lead to canine vision loss. Loss of sight can occur due to:
- Sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome
- Diseases of the optic nerve or brain
- Retinal detachment
- Glaucoma
- Lens luxation
- Cataract
1. Sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome
A condition affecting the light and image detecting cells of the eye (the rods and cones, known as photoreceptors), which are located at the back of the eye, within the retina. For reasons that are still unclear, in some dogs these photoreceptors suddenly die and dogs affected by this disease become suddenly blind overnight.
2. Diseases of the optic nerve or brain
Vision processing starts with the eye, but the final part of the information processing happens in the brain. The information travels there, from the eye, via a nerve called the optic nerve. Dogs who develop inflammation of the brain or the optic nerve can lose their sight and become blind suddenly.
3. Retinal detachment
The retina is responsible for collecting information and light from the surrounding environment and generating pictures of images which are then transmitted to the brain. The retina can become detached either as a consequence of diseases of the immune-system, infectious diseases or due to “tearing” of the retina (due to predisposition in certain breeds of dogs or dogs who have undergone cataract surgery), leading to sudden blindness.
4. Glaucoma
A painful condition associated with redness and clouding of the eyes which causes sudden pain, discomfort and vision loss. Glaucoma is the medical term to describe the increase of pressure inside the eye. Although glaucoma usually develops initially in one eye, rarely it can affect both eyes and if your dog can only see out of one eye, sudden loss of sight in the other eye can lead to instant blindness.
5. Lens luxation
The lens is the structure responsible for fine focusing of light and images from our surrounding environment to the back of the eye (the retina). The lens has to be in the correct position so dogs can see clearly, otherwise their vision might become distorted.
Certain breeds, primarily Terrier breeds, can be predisposed to a condition called primary lens luxation in which the lens becomes dislocated from its normal position and, apart from blurry vision, can lead increase in the pressure of the eye and glaucoma (increased pressure in the eye).
6. Cataract
Most commonly seen in dogs suffering from diabetes (although any dog can develop cataract at any time point of their life), cataract causes a rapid change in the transparency of the lens leading to sudden clouding of the eyes and blindness.
What can you do if your dog has gone blind suddenly
Recognising that your dog’s vision is impaired as soon as possible, is important to try and restore their eyesight. Changes in your dog’s behaviour which would suggest that their vision has been compromised, such as bumping into objects, hesitation to go out on walks, not being able to find their treats or toys on the floor and becoming startled by your presence when you move are a few of the changes, that should alert you and lead you to seek immediate advice from your vets.
For most of the aforementioned conditions, there are available treatment options, medical or surgical, assuming that blindness is recognised in a timely manner. If your vets cannot recognise and identify the problem leading to vision loss, they will recommend further assessment by an ophthalmologist.
In the meantime, ensure that you keep your dogs in a safe, familiar environment, do not make any sudden changes to the furniture and use sound (your voice) to help them navigate. If you become concerned and you feel that a more specialised approach or advice is required, we are always happy to review your dog during a routine or emergency consultation.
Concerned about your dog’s eyes?
If your pet experiences one or more of the symptoms above, we are here for you. Request an appointment and get in touch with one of our specialised ophthalmologists.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What are the first signs my dog might be going blind suddenly?
Disorientation, bumping into familiar places and spaces, inability to track toys or treats and reluctance to go out in the garden or walks are the most common signs we see in dogs who become blind all of a sudden.
2. My dog suddenly went blind. Is it an emergency?
In most cases, sudden blindness is considered an emergency and we would encourage you to contact yours vets or out-of-hours emergency vet.
3. Can a dog that goes blind overnight get its sight back?
In most cases, conditions which cause complete blindness simultaneously in both eyes are extremely unlikely to resolve without urgent medical treatment.
4. Is sudden blindness painful for a dog?
Some cases, such as glaucoma or uveitis are extremely painful, while others, such as sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome (SARDS) are non painful.