Kate H
Well-known member
Cavluvver wrote: when I look at him he seems to squint and seems to find it difficult to raise his eyes
I got Oliver at a year old and right from the start he squinted in strong sunlight or when looking up at bright light - when I breed showed him and he was looking up at me in the ring he would squint if he was also looking directly at fluorescent lighting in the ceiling. Neither I nor my vet thought anything of this at the time - it was just the way Oliver was. Now I know that his dilated ventricles interfere with the mechanism that controls his pupils - they close too slowly and don't close completely, so that he can't prevent strong light getting into his eyes. Fortunately - so far - there is no damage to his retina. He's fine on our normal walks, as he usually has his nose to the ground so isn't looking at the sky and sun. But when he is lying down looking out on sunshine, even if he is in the shade himself, he starts to squint and is obviously beginning a headache. After one really bad episode, I keep a watchful eye on him and either move him away from the sun or put his sun hat on (a fetching tan baseball cap!), so the problem is pretty well under control.
So what that rather long explanation is saying is yes, keep an eye on Rossi's squinting - it can be just a normal reaction to sunlight, to protect the eyes, but it could be yet another symptom of his SM (the list does seem to be endless...).
Kate, Oliver and Aled
I got Oliver at a year old and right from the start he squinted in strong sunlight or when looking up at bright light - when I breed showed him and he was looking up at me in the ring he would squint if he was also looking directly at fluorescent lighting in the ceiling. Neither I nor my vet thought anything of this at the time - it was just the way Oliver was. Now I know that his dilated ventricles interfere with the mechanism that controls his pupils - they close too slowly and don't close completely, so that he can't prevent strong light getting into his eyes. Fortunately - so far - there is no damage to his retina. He's fine on our normal walks, as he usually has his nose to the ground so isn't looking at the sky and sun. But when he is lying down looking out on sunshine, even if he is in the shade himself, he starts to squint and is obviously beginning a headache. After one really bad episode, I keep a watchful eye on him and either move him away from the sun or put his sun hat on (a fetching tan baseball cap!), so the problem is pretty well under control.
So what that rather long explanation is saying is yes, keep an eye on Rossi's squinting - it can be just a normal reaction to sunlight, to protect the eyes, but it could be yet another symptom of his SM (the list does seem to be endless...).
Kate, Oliver and Aled