• Fetck KC Callout
  • 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
Politics
Products
Recalls
Regulatory
Media
Expert Interviews
The Vet Blast Podcast
Medical World News
Pet Connections
The Dilemma Live
Vet Perspective
Weekly Newscast
dvm360 Insights™
dvm360 LIVE!™
Publications
All Publications
dvm360
Firstline
Supplements
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
Surgery
Toxicology
Urology & Nephrology
Virtual Care
Business
All Business
Business & Personal Finance
Client Handouts
Hospital Design
Personnel Management
Practice Finances
Practice Operations
Wellbeing & Lifestyle
Continuing Education
Conferences
Conference Listing
Conference Proceedings
Upcoming dvm360 Conferences
Resources
CBD in Pets
CE Requirements by State
Contests
Partners
Spotlight Series
Team Meeting in a Box
Toolkit
Vet to Vet
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us

© 2022 MJH Life Sciences and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

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

© 2022 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.

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
Get back to school with dvm360 Flex™ continuing education
Get back to school with dvm360 Flex™ continuing education
July CE: Unlock your veterinary learning potential
July CE: Unlock your veterinary learning potential
The free program that has given over 100,000 service dog eye exams
The free program that has given over 100,000 service dog eye exams

Latest News

Mini donkey successfully receives pacemaker to manage fatal heart condition

News wrap-up: This week’s headlines, plus Cincinnati Zoo welcomes baby hippo

Dr Mike Nolan receives 2022 AVMF/EveryCat Health Foundation Research Award

Lear's macaw reintroduced into wild and flourishing

View More Latest News