CLIENT RESOURCES
OPHTHALMOLOGY RESOURCES
We want to make sure your pet gets appropriate eye care and know that it can sometimes be urgent.
You may call to make an appointment with one of our ophthalmologists at any time, no referral is technically necessary. However, your pet’s primary care veterinarian is an excellent resource. If your primary care veterinarian has seen your pet for this problem and recommends you see an ophthalmologist, please ask how urgent they think the appointment should be.
Our front desk staff can schedule any open appointment. However, sometimes an open appointment slot is not available soon enough. If that is the case, then you can reach out to our Ophthalmology staff directly to see if your pet can be seen sooner OR bring your pet to the PETS ER 24/7 where ER doctors can help get your pet the treatment it needs until an appointment with one of our ophthalmologists is available.
How to tell if your pet’s eye problem is urgent:
- Your pet’s primary care veterinarian recommends urgent referral or seems concerned
- Your pet is squinting (a sign of irritation or pain) and you don’t know why or you don’t already have a prescribed treatment plan in place
- Your pet is squinting and the treatment plan already in place has not led to improvement in the time interval you were told to expect
- Your pet has suddenly lost most of his/her vision (is bumping into things)
- Pus-like, green discharge, or blood-tinged discharge is coming from the eye
- Frequent rubbing/pawing at the eye
- Swelling of the pink inner eyelid tissue that is preventing normal eyelid movement or is becoming moderate to severe
- The surface of the eye has suddenly become moderately to severely cloudy
- If more than one of the above are true, then that usually constitutes an emergency and you should bring your pet to PETS ER asap.
What does squinting look like?
This boston terrier is squinting his *left* eye, holding it partially shut.
This poodle is squinting her *right* eye.
Ophtho CE video hosted by Berkeley Humane featuring our ophthalmologist Mitzi Zarfoss:
Reasons to see a veterinary ophthalmologist:
- An eye condition is not responding to initial therapy or is unclear
- Vision is deteriorating and you are interested in more information and/or cataract surgery
- Your pet has diabetes and you would like to learn about associated eye diseases (cataract and dry eye)
- Determining there are no inherited ocular diseases (if you are considering breeding a pet)
- You are being told that your pet’s eye condition requires surgery and you would like help in choosing the most appropriate surgical option
- Utilizing non-invasive cryotherapy for eyelid tumors under sedation rather than general anesthesia
- Advanced surgical and medical management of glaucoma
- You have questions about your pet’s eye health that are unanswered
- You have a pet that is at high risk for eye problems (for example French Bulldogs, Boston Terriers, Pugs, and other “brachycephalic” dogs are ten times more likely to develop corneal ulcers than other breeds) and you want to know what to look for
- You have a middle-aged Golden Retriever and would like us to screen your dog for Golden Retriever Uveitis (see link to Mitzi’s GRU resources)
Commonly Treated Conditions and Services Offered:
- Cataract/lens removal surgery
- Corneal ulcers and surgical repair
- Dry eye therapy and surgery
- Advanced diagnostics including ocular ultrasound, ultrasound biomicroscopy, and electroretinography (ERG)
- Feline Herpes Virus diagnosis and treatment
- Glaucoma diagnostics (gonioscopy, ultrasound biomicroscopy, and tonometry), therapy, and surgery
- Medical/Inflammatory conditions of the internal eye (uveitis)
- Medical and surgical treatment of eyelid conditions