Congenital Stationary Night Blindness
This condition is named for the poor vision affected dogs experience in dim light (nyctalopia), though in severe cases it can progress to full blindness. Affected dogs also have abnormalities of the retina and retinal pigmented epithelium, the heavily pigmented tissue that nourishes and protects the retina.
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Signs and symptoms
Puppies with night blindness often appear normal during the day, but will run into walls and other objects at night. As the disease progresses, day vision can also be impacted and lead to complete blindness.
Night vision loss is first reported in puppies (6 weeks of age), but does not become detectable on ophthalmic exam until 2-3 years.Uncover health risks with Embark
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Diagnosis
Veterinarians perform a complete ocular exam and notice brown patches over the retina (back of the eye).
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Treatment
Currently, there is no treatment for night blindness.
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What to do if your dog is at risk
Actions
- Talk to your vet about your dog’s congenital stationary night blindness result so you can work together to plan their ongoing care and monitoring.
- Help your dog navigate safely at night by leaving lights on or using nightlights in darker areas.
- If your dog has trouble seeing during the day, keep furniture in the same place, use verbal cues, and guide them on a leash in new areas.
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Genetic Information
This mutation was first described in the Swedish Briard.
This mutation is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner; that is, a dog requires two copies of the mutation to show signs of the disease.
Gene names:
RPE65 ‐ chr
Inheritance type:
recessive
Citations:
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Breeds affected
This health condition affects the following breeds
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