How Contacts are Helping Dogs

Millions of people all across the globe wear contact lenses. It's a routine for many, like falling asleep at night. But how routine is it for dogs to wear contact lenses? Since the 1970s, veterinarians have been using contact lenses for various reasons. Although it may seem quite odd, these specially designed contact lenses have greatly improved the lives of many dogs.

Contact lenses that are designed for dogs are not identical to the contacts we use as humans. After all, a dog cannot answer the question, “Which is clearer? One or two?”

The Purpose of Canine Contact Lenses

The contact lenses placed in dogs are similar in appearance to regular contact lenses, but they are used for different reasons. Lenses that dogs use are a bandage for the eye, more than anything else. Traditional treatment for a damaged cornea in a canine is painstakingly difficult, for both the dog and its owner. It involves regularly dropping antibiotics into the damaged eye and using an eye flap that the dog is unable to see out of.

In comparison to the method used with contact lenses, this method is very inefficient. By treating cornea problems with a contact lens the eye will heal in less than half the time it takes with the traditional method. The medication is placed on the contact lens, which is then inserted into the eye. With contacts, antibiotic drops are completely unnecessary.

Contacts: A Less Expensive Solution

If a dog is experiencing difficulties with an eye, it should be taken to the vet as soon as possible. If the problem can be fixed with contacts, then the owner is in luck. Contacts are inexpensive and application is easy: The vet creates contacts that are comfortable for the dog and applies any necessary medication.
Once the dog is wearing the contact, it will be worn for approximately a week, until it falls out on its own. After this happens, the owner should take the dog to the vet once again, to make sure the eye is completely healed. In the event where the eye hasn't fully healed, the veterinarian will call for another contact to be made or alternate medicine to be used.

Failure to take a dog with eye problems to the vet can result in unnecessary or permanent damage. In some cases, an eye will get so bad to the point where it will have to be removed. Any owner who wants the best for their dog should talk to a veterinarian about contact lenses in the event of cornea damage.

How Contacts are Helping Dogs is a guest post by Jamie Lechler.

Jamie Lechler writes for EZ Contacts of the USA, which sells contact lenses online. For a successful case study of contact lenses on a dog, visit the NIH.