158 THE EYE 



Six months afterwards we examined her again, and found that the pupil 

 was considerably enlarged, and properly shaped, and the white skin had 

 vanished. In the back-ground of the eye there was a faint yellow-green 

 light, and the dog not only showed sensibility to light, but some perception 

 of external objects. At this period we lost sight of her. 



A very considerable improvement has taken place with regard to the 

 treatment of the enlarged or protruded ball of the eye. A dog may get 

 into a skirmish, and have his eye forced from the socket. If there is little 

 or no bleeding, the case will probably be easily and successfully treated. 



The eye must, first, be thoroughly washed, and not a particle of grit 

 must be left. A little oil, a crooked needle, and a small piece of soft rag 

 should be procured. The blunt end of the needle should be dipped into 

 the oil, and run round the inside of the lid, first above and then below. 

 The operator will next his fingers being oiled press upon the protruded 

 eye gently yet somewhat firmly, changing the pressure from one part of 

 the eye to the other, in order to force it back into the socket. 



If, after a couple of minutes' trial, he does not succeed, let him again 

 oil the eye on the inside and the out, and once more introduce the blunt 

 end of the needle, attempting to carry it upwards under the lid with two 

 or three fingers pressing on the eye, and the points of pressure being fre- 

 quently changed. In by far the greater number of cases the eye will be 

 saved. 



If it is impracticable to cause the eye to retract, a needle with a thread 

 attached must be passed through it, the eye being then drawn as forward 

 as possible and cut off close to the lids. The bleeding will soon cease and 

 the lids perfectly close. 



Ophthalmia is a disease to which the dog is often liable. It is the result 

 of exposure either to heat or to cold, or violent exertion ; it is remedied 

 by bleeding, purging, and the application of sedative medicines, as the 

 acetate of lead or the tincture of opium. When the eye is considerably 

 inflamed, in addition to the application of tepid or cold water, either the 

 inside of the lids or the white of the eye may be lightly touched with the 

 lancet. From exposure to cold, or accident or violence, inflammation 

 often spreads on the eye to a considerable degree, the pupil is clouded, 

 and small streaks of blood spread over the opaque cornea. The mode of 

 treatment just described must be pursued. 



The crystalline lens occasionally becomes opaque. There is cataract. 

 It may be the result of external injury or of internal predisposition. Old 

 dogs are particularly subject to cataract. That which arises from acci- 

 dent, or occasionally disease, may, although seldom, be reinstated, espe- 

 cially in the young dog, and both eyes may become sound ; but, in the 

 old, the slow-growing opacity will, almost to a certainty, terminate in 

 cataract. 



There is occasionally an enlargement of the eye, or rather an accumu- 

 lation of fluid within the eye, to a very considerable extent. No external 

 application seems to have the slightest effect in reducing the bulk of the 

 eye. If it is punctured, much inflammation ensues, and the eye gradually 

 wastes away. 



In amaurosis, the eye is beautifully clear, and, for a little while, this 

 clearness imposes upon the casual observer ; but there is a peculiar pellucid 

 appearance about the eye a preternatural and unchanging brightness. In 



