Cherry Eye
March, 2000
The condition known as "Cherry Eye" occurs in a
number of dog breeds, including the Beagle. It is believed to be
a hereditary problem.Cherry Eye is the common name for a prolapse
or protrusion of the gland of the third eyelid. In normal eyes,
the gland is small and is situated against the eyeball, deep
enough in the socket so that it can't be seen. In dogs that have
a cherry eye, some of the gland's normal holding structures break
down and the gland becomes inflamed, red and swollen. It moves
upward from its normal position and becomes visible as a reddish
mass in the corner of the eye. The protruding gland may be more
prone to injury, infection or irritation, especially in hunting
dogs, but the main reason to treat the condition is its unsightly
appearance, which remains unchanged for the life of the dog.
Before the 1980's, it was a common practice for veterinarians to
treat this condition by removal of the entire gland. However, the
gland of the third eyelid serves a useful purpose. It produces
nearly half of the tears that are continually bathing the surface
of the eye to keep it moist and healthy. Removing the gland makes
the dog more likely to develop "Dry Eye" later in life.
This is a condition in which poor tear production leads to
discomfort with inflammation, excess mucus buildup, and sometimes
a layer of dark pigment on the cornea that can lead to blindness.
Thirty to forty percent, or more, of all dogs who have the third
eyelid gland removed end up with Dry Eye, which requires
medication for life.
One attempt to solve this problem was to remove only part of the
gland but this rarely leaves adequate tear production and may not
improve the cosmetic appearance of the eye. The treatment of
choice today is to surgically replace the gland, retaining its
full function. The first procedures
described to accomplish this were to suture the gland to the
eyeball itself or to its boney socket, but these could break
down, causing re-prolapse of the gland, twenty to forty percent
of the time. A more recently described surgery involves creating
a "pocket" in adjacent tissue to hold the gland.This
apparently has a lower recurrence rate and is technically easier
to learn.
To anyone whose dog develops a "cherry eye", I strongly
recommend discussing surgical options with your veterinarian.