Cataracts?

[Bully_Love]

So, my dog Misty isn't a pit bull, but I do have a health question about her. Misty is now 10yrs old., and I noticed the other day that the pupils of Misty's eyes looked a little bluish just in normal light. Then, I looked into them with a small flashlight, and there is a really whitish/bluish tinted reflection. She already has a vet appointment set up to get her checked out, but it's not until April 3rd. So far, her eyesight seems to be just fine. My question is, could this just be something I've never noticed before (it's kind of hard to tell in regular light, but it did catch my eye...), and is this always a sign of cataracts? Are a dog's pupil's always a deep black like ours are? I can't seem to find any pictures of a dog with the early signs of cataracts, so I'm not really sure so I was hoping to see what you guys think.

Thanks!

[Misskiwi67]

It is probably something called Lenticular Sclerosis, a normal aging change to the lens of the eye found in many (most) senior dogs.

As the lens ages, it becomes thicker, and eventually does not pass light through as well as it should, this causes the blue-ing of the lens. As long as light continues to pass through the lens, the pet will still have reasonably good vision, although they wouldn't have the ability to focus well enough to read a book or drive a car...

The best way to tell between a cataract and Lenticular sclerosis is to have your vet shine a light through the eye and use a tool designed to see to the back of the eye. Cataracts look similar from the outside, but when you try to look inside the eye, you will not be able to see through the defect of a cataract, and you will be able to see through the lens that has normal aging changes.

If the blue is at the front of the eye and affecting the cornea, then this could be a sign of a much more serious problem.

[Bully_Love]

Thank you so much! I had never heard of Lenticular Sclerosis. That's really good to know, and seems like it's certainly a real possibility. I actually called a little while ago to see if there were any cancellations, and got Misty's appointment moved up to tomorrow afternoon. So, at least now I should know for sure a lot sooner.

Thank you again! I'll have to update tomorrow with what I end up finding out what it is.

[Bully_Love]

So, Misty made out pretty good yesterday. The vet looked in her both of her eyes and said she does in fact have nuclear sclerosis and is free of cataracts. She said her eyes aren't that bad though, and that her sight should be just fine for right now. I am very happy it isn't cataracts, but, at the same time, it still breaks my heart because this is the first time Misty has ever shown her age. All I can do is hope the she keeps her sight as long into her upper years as possible.

Thank you again for your help!

[Patch O' Pits]

Hugs for your senior baby!