ABSTRACT
Prior to any ophthalmic examination, a thorough history should be obtained including information about the environment of the animal, other pets in the household, diet, previous treatments and medications, but also a complete medical history. In the dog, most sedatives or general anesthesia only make the ophthalmic examination more difficult due to protrusion of the third eyelid and infraversion of the eyes. While sedation is routine in large animal ophthalmic examinations, it is rarely necessary in small animals. The owner's complaints are usually among the following: decreased vision or blindness, ocular discharge, ocular color changes, pain, an opacity or film over the eye, pupillary changes/anisocoria, and exophthalmos/enlarged eyes. Color changes may be due to conjunctival and episcleral hyperemia associated with conjunctivitis, scleritis, uveitis, or glaucoma. Opacities or film over or in the eye may result from prolapse of the third eyelid, tenacious ocular discharges, corneal opacities, fibrin, blood, inflammatory cells or masses in the anterior chamber, and cataracts.
