Retinal dysplasia is a type of retinal malformation.
Retinal folds rarely cause vision problems for the individual dog. They represent small blind spots which are probably not even noticed by the dog. However, large areas of dysplasia (geographic dysplasia) may lead to large deficits in the visual field and dogs with retinal detachments are completely blind.
Retinal dysplasia occurs when the 2 primitive layers of the retina do not form together properly. Mild dysplasia manifests as folds in the inner retinal layer. These are called "retinal folds".
In "geographic" retinal dysplasia there are larger areas of defective retinal development. In the severe form of dysplasia, the 2 retinal layers do not come together at all and retinal detachment occurs.
Retinal dysplasia is not progressive. It is a congenital defect and animals are born with as severe a condition as they will ever get. Retinal dysplasia can be detected as early as 6-8 weeks on a CERF examination. However, because the size of the eye is small and young puppies are often wiggling during examination, a 6 month recheck is recommended in order for the ophthalmologist to better see the back of the eye. The cause of retinal dysplasia in most breeds is genetic although prenatal infections with herpesvirus and parvovirus may also lead to it.
There is no effective treatment for retinal dysplasia.
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