The eye is susceptible to a variety of problems. Foreign bodies can cause a slight irritation as well as serious damage. Symptoms of a problem in this area may be fluid running from the eye, as well as signs of distress, displayed by rubbing and pawing the irritated eye. Examine the eye and try to prevent the dog from doing additional injury to himself. Your vet can remove the foreign body and administer medication to combat infection. Any injury to the eye should be treated as rapidly as possible.

Infection
Symptoms of an eye infection are the same as those of a foreign body. Treatment usually involves administering an antibiotic eye ointment to the infected eye. Consult your vet.

Allergy
Allergic dogs usually have a variety of symptoms which may include not only the skin but also the eyes and nose. Itching, redness, discharge may all occur. Treatment with antihistamine (the same way doctors control hay fever) should help ease the animal's discomfort.

Cataracts and Blindness
Some breeds, because of excessive inbreeding, have developed a tendency to blindness and other visual problems. The best time to worry about this is before purchasing your puppy. Try to learn as much as possible about the breed which interests you, and if vision is a breed problem, try to be certain that there is no blindness in your pup's ancestors.

During old age, visual handicaps may develop in dogs of all breeds. Sometimes surgery can be of help. Usually blindness of old age comes on so gradually that the dog manages to compensate for his loss by using his other senses.

Blindness can be caused by specific illness, such as distemper, a serious eye infection, or an accident. Whether or not to destroy the dog with total blindness is a very personal decision.