Abbreviated Name: EKS

Disease Description: Exposure keratopathy syndrome, or EKS, in dogs is a medical condition that will negatively impact the surface of your dog’s eye. It can cause discomfort or pain to your dog and it is a chronic corneal disease that can cause your dog to go blind

Inherit Mode: The syndrome is associated with a combination of anatomic features that are influenced by several genes affecting skull and facial conformation.

Disease Symptom: Signs of chronic corneal irritation include reddening of the eye, increased tears, and discomfort (pawing or rubbing the eye). Affected dogs are prone to eye injuries from environmental insults (dust, twigs, et cetera). Corneal ulcers may develop due to increased corneal exposure. Over time, pigmentation of the cornea may occur in response to chronic irritation. This may eventually interfere with your dog's vision.

Disease Cause: -

Disease Diagnose: The eyeballs are prominent and the eyes may be reddened from chronic irritation. If corneal ulceration has developed, the eye will be painful and your dog may paw or rub it. With lagophthalmos, you may notice that your dog's eyes do not close completely when she is asleep. Your veterinarian may do a fluoroscein dye test to check for corneal ulceration.

Treat Method: Tear substitutes provide only temporary relief. Surgical correction to reduce the size of the eyelid opening (permanent partial tarsorrhaphy) is usually effective in protecting the cornea over the long term. Where other associated eyelid defects such as entropion are present, several surgeries may be required. Corneal ulceration, if present, must also be treated.

Breeder Advice: Exposure keratopathy syndrome is one of the eye conditions that is a result of selection by breeders and a demand by the public for such features as excessively prominent eyes and heavy facial folds. A responsible breeding programme will choose animals for breeding with a more normal head conformation, so as to select away from these exaggerated facial features and the problems associated with them. Any dog that has required surgical correction to treat this condition should not be used for breeding, and may not be exhibited in the show ring.

Disease Description Source: Link