Information > Progressive Retinal Atrophy

The cells of the retina receive light from the external environment and transmit the information to the brain where it is interpreted to become vision. PRA causes cells in the retina at the back of the eye to degenerate and die, even though the cells may have developed normally early in life.

Owners of affected dogs first notice that their dog becomes night blind, but this eventually progresses to total blindness. The age of onset of first signs varies from breed to breed. However, in all cases puppies are born with perfect vision and their sight begins to degenerate later in life, from around 3 years of age or later.

The disease is described as an autosomal recessive condition. This means that a dog must inherit two copies of an abnormal gene (one from its mother and one from its father) before its health is affected. A dog that inherits only one copy of the abnormal gene (from its mother or its father) will have no signs of the disease, but will be a carrier and may pass the gene on to any offspring.

Symptoms of progressive retinal atrophy

Dogs affected by progressive retinal atrophy present with night blindness. You may notice that your pet has trouble seeing at night or whenever it’s dark. In addition, your dog’s pupils may always seem to be dilated. As the disease progresses, pets also lose the ability to see when it is light and eventually go completely blind. At that point, you may notice your pet bumping into things, especially in new environments. 

Source 1: The Kennel Club

Source 2: Pet Health Network