Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Eye differences in dogs and cats - why glaucoma risk is higher in
By Kim, Donghee et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2025·College of Veterinary Medicine, South Korea·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Comparative analysis of iridocorneal angle in cats and dogs using ultrasound biomicroscopy: implications for glaucoma prevalence.
Plain-English summary
This study looked at the differences in the front part of the eyes of dogs and cats to understand why dogs are more likely to develop a type of glaucoma called primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG). Researchers examined the eyes of 16 dogs and 14 cats that were healthy and used a special ultrasound technique to measure various eye structures. They found that dogs had smaller measurements in several key areas compared to cats, even after adjusting for the size of the animals. These differences suggest that the narrower drainage angles and smaller eye structures in dogs may lead to a higher risk of glaucoma, while the larger structures in cats might help protect them from this condition.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study aims to investigate the anatomical differences in the anterior segment of the eyes between dogs and cats using ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) to understand the higher prevalence of primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) in dogs compared to cats. Retrospective analysis was performed on clinical data from 16 eyes of 16 dogs and 14 eyes of 14 cats with normal eye conditions. UBM was utilized to measure nine specific parameters, including Schwalbe's Line Distance (SLD), Iridocorneal Angle (ICA), Angle-Opening Distance (AOD), and three ciliary cleft parameters: width (CCW), length (CCL), and area (CCA). To account for differences in body size, ciliary cleft parameters were adjusted accordingly. RESULTS: Significant anatomical differences in the anterior segment were found between the two species. Dogs had smaller values for SLD, ICA, AOD, and ciliary cleft parameters (CCW, CCL, CCA) compared to cats. Even after body-size adjustment, the rectified ciliary cleft parameters remained smaller in dogs. CONCLUSION: The anatomical differences, particularly the smaller ciliary cleft and narrower drainage angles in dogs, may contribute to the higher prevalence of PACG in this species. Conversely, the larger ciliary cleft in cats may explain the lower occurrence of primary glaucoma in cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40102853/