Exophthalmos, enophthalmos, and strabismus are all diseases which cause the dog's eyeball to be abnormally positioned.
With exophthalmos, the dog's eyeball protrudes, or bulges, from the orbit of the eye. This may be due to a space-occupying mass behind the eyeball. Enophthalmos, meanwhile, causes the eyeball to recess, or sink, into the skull. Lastly, strabismus is when an affected animal's eye appears to look off at a different angle, unable to focus in the same direction as the other eye. This can occur with one or both eyes, and is more commonly referred to as "crossed eyes."
The condition or disease described in this medical article can affect both dogs and cats. If you would like to learn more about how this disease affects cats, please visit this page in the PetMD health library.
The signs for each of these disease are as follows:
Exophthalmos is generally due to a space-occupying mass located behind the eyeball. Strabismus, or "crossed eyes," is usually caused by an imbalance of extraocular (outside of the eye) muscle tone. The Shar-pei is highly susceptible to this eye disease.
Some other factors that may lead to these eye diseases include:
You will need to give a thorough history of your dog's health, onset of symptoms, and possible incidents that might have preceded this condition. Your veterinarian will perform a thorough physical exam, examining the eyeballs, surrounding bone and muscle, and an inspection of your dog's mouth for any abnormalities. X-ray imaging of the skull will help to determine the exact location of any growths, pockets of fluid, or abnormalities in the muscle or bone that might be contributing to the abnormal positioning of the eyeball.
Your veterinarian will also probably want to perform basic blood tests, including a chemical blood profile, a complete blood count, a urinalysis, and an electrolyte panel, just to make sure there is no underlying systemic disease involved.
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