We do everything for our pets nowadays; from feline fashion to canine cuisine, pampered pets are all the rage. Paris Hilton isn’t the only one stuffing her purse with a miniature pooch, and doggie bags have been replaced with personal chefs—for pets. Animal health insurance, which was laughed at just a few years ago, is now par for the course. The cost of care is rising, and people are willing to invest more and more to keep Fido healthy and pets become an intrinsic part of the family.

Think about it; how many people have you overheard discussing their pets in a way that could just as easily haven been children or grandchildren? “Man’s best friend” has taken on new meaning, and people will stop at nothing to make sure these loyal companions live long, healthy, enjoyable lives—for both their benefit, and for ours.

More Comprehensive Canine Care

Health care for pets is now going well past yearly check-ups and flea collars, in particular for dogs. Dogs are often thought of as more personable pets than cats, and human owners are opting to extend quality time as long as possible. Canine chemo is becoming more commonplace, as is cataract surgery. And now, thanks in part to Viso Lasik Medspas, dogs with failing eyesight can have their vision restored using a procedure much like human refractive laser eye surgery.

It is generally believed that dogs are color blind, yet possess vision that is much sharper than that of humans. We at Viso Lasik Medspas, along with Dr. Anne Gemensky-Metzler, DVM, MS, DACVO, Associate Professor in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at The Ohio State University, set out to further explore a dog’s visual capacity and determine if “Fido” is an eligible candidate for LASIK.

Veterinary Laser Eye Surgery

“We do many [eye] surgeries on animals,” says Dr. Gemensky-Metzler. “In dogs, cataract removal is the most common surgery that we do. The procedure is called phacoemulsification and is very similar to the procedure done in humans. Success rates for long-term vision [improvement] are about 90% or better.”

“Refractive error is uncommon in dogs, however in cases where dogs are near-sighted or far-sighted, corrective contact lenses or Doggles® with corrective lenses have occasionally been used,” says Dr. Gemensky-Metzler. “With more than 45.6 million U.S. households owning pets* and a success rate of vision improvement following cataract surgery in dogs peaking at more than 90%, refractive eye surgery for pets naturally lends itself to further research.”

We share much more in common with our furry friends than an appreciation for long W-A-L-K-S, so it stands to reason that dogs could benefit from many of the same procedures currently available to humans. Stay tuned for the latest in veterinary surgery and to schedule a LASIK consultation for your four-legged friend!