Impaired Eyesight

I am worried that my dogs eyesight is impaired as he runs into things and sometimes his eyes shine bright irridesent blue and green, what should i do?

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

Your dog may have a congenital ocular disease inherited from any of his associated breeds.  Some of these congenital disorders lead to sight deficits, and some can lead to total blindness.

Please take him to your vet or preferably to a veterinary ophthalmologist who can give a definite diagnosis.

Dogs do very well with blindness.  They do not usually become depressed about the fact that they can't see, unlike humans.  They simply take blindness as another stage in their lives.  Additionally, dogs ability to smell is so powerful that it can take over and can act as a kind of scent "sonar", which helps take the place of eyesight, in a way.