• Hero Banner
  • ACVCACVC
  • DVM 360
  • Fetch DVM 360Fetch DVM 360
DVM 360
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
By Role
AssociatesOwnersPractice ManagerStudentsTechnicians
Subscriptions
dvm360 Newsletterdvm360 Magazine
News
All News
Association
Breaking News
Education
Equine
FDA
Law & Ethics
Market Trends
Medical
Products
Recalls
Regulatory
Digital Media
dvm360 LIVE!™
Expert Interviews
The Vet Blast Podcast
Medical World News
Pet Connections
The Dilemma Live
Vet Perspectives™
Weekly Newscast
dvm360 Insights™
Publications
All Publications
dvm360
Firstline
Supplements
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vetted
Clinical
All Clinical
Anesthesia
Animal Welfare
Behavior
Cardiology
CBD in Pets
Dentistry
Dermatology
Diabetes
Emergency & Critical Care
Endocrinology
Equine Medicine
Exotic Animal Medicine
Feline Medicine
Gastroenterology
Imaging
Infectious Diseases
Integrative Medicine
Nutrition
Oncology
Ophthalmology
Orthopedics
Pain Management
Parasitology
Pharmacy
Surgery
Toxicology
Urology & Nephrology
Virtual Care
Business
All Business
Business & Personal Finance
Buying or Selling a Practice
Hospital Design
Leadership & Personal Growth
Personnel Management
Practice Finances
Practice Operations
Technology
Wellbeing & Lifestyle
Continuing Education
Conferences
Live Conferences
Conference News
Conference Proceedings
Resources
CBD in Pets
Contests
Veterinary Heroes
Partners
Spotlight Series
Team Meeting in a Box
Toolkit
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vet to Vet
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Advertisement
By Role
  • Associates
  • Owners
  • Practice Manager
  • Students
  • Technicians
Subscriptions
  • dvm360 Newsletter
  • dvm360 Magazine
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us
  • MJHLS Brand Logo

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences™ and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Just Ask the Expert: Can a smoky sclera be normal?

April 1, 2011
Juliet R. Gionfriddo, DVM, MS, DACVO

Dr. Juliet Gionfriddo answers this reader query about a discolored sclera.

Dr. Gionfriddo welcomes ophthalmology questions from veterinarians and veterinary technicians.

Click here to submit your question, or send an e-mail to vm@advanstar.com with the subject line "Ophthalmology questions."

One of my patients is an 8-month-old English bulldog with a unilateral smoky-colored sclera (see photo, left). I have never seen this before and am interested in your opinion.

A. The bulldog in your picture has more extensive scleral and episcleral pigmentation than we usually see in dogs, but it is normal. In dogs, the color of the sclera depends on the thickness of its stroma, the amount of pigment it contains, and the amount of fat in its outer boundary. The sclera is thicker near the limbus and thins toward the equator of the globe, making it appear whiter at the limbus in some individuals. However, it is common in dogs to have a large amount of limbal melanin that makes the limbus appear dark-brown or black. This pigment sometimes extends posteriorly for a few millimeters either around the entire limbus or may be particularly prominent laterally (Figure 1). In the case of your bulldog, the melanin is scattered lightly throughout the sclera, making it appear gray, and the pigment extends over the entire sclera rather than being focal. This may be related to the dog's coat color.

Advertisement

1. A dog with temporal limbal pigmentation, which is a normal finding.

This gray-appearing scleral pigmentation must be differentiated from a very thin sclera, which appears dark-blue because of the dark uveal tract that can be seen through the thin sclera. The most common reason for scleral thinning is the presence of a staphyloma, which is a scleral defect that is lined with uveal tissue. A staphyloma is usually localized to a portion of the eye and does not involve the entire sclera, unlike the pigment in this bulldog. In addition, staphylomas often bulge from the ocular surface (Figure 2). They can be congenital because of developmental defects in scleral formation or traumatic. If they are traumatic in origin, staphylomas should be corrected surgically. Large, congenital staphylomas also may be surgically corrected, but if they are small, they are often left alone.

2. A young dog with a congenital staphyloma of the temporal portion of the globe.

Juliet R. Gionfriddo, DVM, MS, DACVO

Department of Clinical Sciences

College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Colorado State University

Fort Collins, CO 80523

Related Content:

Ophthalmology
Beware of neurogenic keratoconjunctivitis sicca caused by otic medications
Beware of neurogenic keratoconjunctivitis sicca caused by otic medications
Veterinary Eye Center of NYC to offer free eye exams to local working animals
Veterinary Eye Center of NYC to offer free eye exams to local working animals
UC Davis study on eye diseases in kittens
UC Davis study on eye diseases in kittens

Advertisement

Latest News

Integrative approach to treating Giardia lamblia infections

Innovative digital microscopy platform is launched

Enhanced pet health and wellness app now available

Advice on dog and cat seasonal allergies with air quality threats

View More Latest News
Advertisement