Dogs indeed see colour but… they are red-green colour blind! The reason being that dogs only have two types of cones (colour receptor cells) in their eyes whereas humans typically have 3 kinds of cones. For humans, the cones come in three colours – red, green and blue-violet which covers the entire colour spectrum. For dogs, the cones come in two colours: blue and yellow. This causes them to have dichromatic colour vision which is similar to people who are red-green colour blind. What does this mean exactly? Let’s first explain how the eye visualises colour. To detect coloured light, the eye relies on neurons which are located inside the eye’s retina. When light is detected on the cones inside the retina, the neuron’s activity changes depending on the colour of the light. For example, if the light is yellow, the neurons become active. If the light is blue, the neurons are suppressed. The neuron signals are sent to the brain for interpretation and as a result, the relevant colour can be visualised. For dogs, their two kinds of cones means they are limited to only distinguishing between blue and yellow light. If the light is red or green, this has no effect on the neurons in the eye. This causes no signal to be sent to the brain to clarify the colour. Therefore, as research points out, the colours would in fact appear gray instead of red or green. Although, some scientists point out that a dogs brain may in fact give those colours they cannot see a different one (apart from gray)!! Hopefully further study will figure out the truth.
The poor luck of the draw is not over for canines! They have much worse sight than humans. According to the Psychology Today, dog’s vision is only 20/75 in comparison to the human standard of 20/20. To put this into context, someone with 20/75 vision can see a tree clearly 20 feet away. Compare that with a person who has 20/20 vision, they can see the same tree clearly from 75 feet away. Let’s just say that dogs should not be acquiring their driver’s licenses anytime soon as they are way below the required standard!
The ladybug doesn’t look so beautiful now without its dashing red! Researchers are still on the fence about this but the majority of current scientists believe this is what dogs actually see.
Although a dog may not have vision as clear cut as a human’s (that is if you are 20/20 and are not colour blind), this does not mean they are hopeless at navigating themselves around the place. We have all seen dogs catching frisbees in the air without an issue or hurdle a fence with ease. However, if you notice your dog starting to bump into objects and becoming disoriented best to contact your vet for an eye examination. If you have any questions about your dog’s vision, feel free to contact us for further advice or come in for a consultation with one of our friendly vets. [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]
Let us compare a typical human’s vision to that of a dogs on the Dog Vision Simulator. Simply enter in the name of an object, person or animal you want to see and voila.!
There are also some quick fixes you can apply to your own home to make it easier on your pet. The ASPCA noted that pets are very good at memorizing their usual surroundings, so you should try to leave the furniture in your home exactly where it is. Make sure common walking areas are clear. If you have to rearrange a room, do it gradually or limit it to areas where your pet doesn’t usually go.
Many owners find it hard to sit back and watch as their beloved family pets slowly lose their vision, and while this can be a stressful period for both you and your pet, you want to be sure what’s actually happening before you move forward. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals explained that dogs and cats can both go blind from causes that also affect humans: traumatic injuries, progressive illnesses or just old age. Cataracts often develop in older dogs and cats, but pets can also be born blind. However, the ASPCA noted that this is a much different scenario. Instead of having healthy vision stripped away from them after living that way for so long, pets born without sight are usually very good at adapting to their circumstances.
All of these signs may indicate that your pet isn’t seeing as well as he or she used to. While vision isn’t the most important sense to a dog or cat, the sudden loss of it can throw their world into disarray – they may smell you when you come home, but there’s no visual information to confirm it. Imagine if you suddenly didn’t know who was walking into your home. Wouldn’t you be a little anxious, too?
Surgery isn’t the only thing owners can do to make their pets’ lives more comfortable though. If you relied exclusively on hand signals to tell your pet to sit, stay or anything else, dog obedience blog Cesar’s Way recommended switching over to verbal commands. If your pet has gradual vision loss, he or she will come to associate the former visual commands with the new audible ones.
Because animals usually use vision in conjunction with senses like hearing and smell, PetsBest.com explained that a simple test with a cotton ball can serve as a fairly reliable indicator of your pet’s vision. Grab a puff of cotton and make sure your dog is paying attention. Wave it in front of his or her face a few times, then drop the cotton ball from shoulder height. Because it doesn’t have a scent and doesn’t make a sound when it hits the ground, pets with healthy vision will think something’s wrong with it and go over to investigate. Blind pets, though, might not even know the cotton ball is there at all.
Signs & Symptoms of Vision Problems in Dogs
Regardless of the cause of the vision issues, there are a number of symptoms you should be aware of if you are concerned that your dog is experiencing difficulties seeing, or even suffering from total blindness:
- Confused, dazed, easily startled
- Bumping into objects
- Eyes become cloudy
- Changes in behavior that indicate anxiety or hesitation in new places
- Unwillingness to go up or down stairs, or jump onto furniture
- Swollen, puffy or inflamed eyes
- Obvious eye irritation or pawing at face
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Staring into a dog’s pleading eyes might cost you the last bite of your sandwich or the leftovers from your dinner plate, and there’s no doubt in your mind those big puppy dog eyes hold a lot of emotion. There’s more to your dog’s eyes, however, than their ability to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The matter of dog eyesight is subject to more than one misconception. Understanding how your dog sees the world will make your friendship even stronger, so now’s the time to separate fact from fiction. Here are the top four interesting facts about dog eyesight every dog lover should know.
People like to think of dog eyesight like watching an old black and white TV show. The truth is, however, dogs are far from colorblind. They see the world in shades of blue, yellow, green, and gray in addition to black and white. The reason dogs don’t see colors the way people do has to do with the color receptors in the eyes.
Called cones, these receptors are located in the retinas and are responsible for perceiving color. Humans have three kinds of cones, and each one is sensitive to a specific color (red, green, and blue). Dogs, on the other hand, only have two types of cones—one for yellow and one for blue. This gives them what’s called dichromatic color perception while humans have trichromatic color reception. The Dog Vision website offers a clear look at the difference between a dog’s perceived color spectrum and a human’s.
Remember the chart of letters your eye doctor asks you to recite out loud? That’s called a Snellen eye chart, and it’s used to give your doctor an idea of your vision clarity. It’s a good way to screen people for near and farsightedness, and the test also contributes to determining whether or not you have 20/20 vision.
Good luck getting your dog to read off those letters, but if he could take a Snellen eye test, he’d probably get to the third line before everything turned into a blur. Psychology Today reports dogs most likely have 20/75 vision. This means your pup can see things at 20 feet away that a person with 20/20 vision can see from 75 feet away. He’s nearsighted, but don’t feel too bad for him. Dogs have evolved over centuries to rely on their other senses (smell especially) to make up for their less-than-stellar vision clarity.