In simple terms, glaucoma is the build-up of fluid in the eye due to problems of drainage. High pressure in the eye can cause both headaches for the dog as well as pressure on the optic nerve leading to loss of vision and ultimately blindness. It can be a very painful condition and normally leads to the loss of the eye. Primary glaucoma can be hereditary. There is no definitive test which can show if a dog carries the gene(s) for the condition, partly because it is not a single condition. Progress is being made in this area with other breeds, but it may be some time before there is an easy test for all breeds. The best option is a gonioscopy, which is a painless eye test looking at the area at the front of the eye where fluid drains from the eye. A gonioscopy provides information that can be a strong indicator of the risk of developing the condition.
It is best not to breed from dogs which do have the primary form of glaucoma, but as it may not develop until after a dog begins breeding this is not always possible. It is another situation where having as much information regarding the background of parents and other family members is a valuable resource in evaluating the risk. This when combined with the information from the gonioscopy eye examination enables some level of prediction of the risk of any particular mating combination giving rise to puppies which might be affected. The UK Club works with other European Clubs to assess this for our breeding dogs.