The following information was posted to FCR-L and is reprinted with permission from the author, Mary Beth Bissig, and FCR-L list administrator, Mike Richman.

A CERF exam takes a total of about 20 minutes, including drops and filling out paperwork. The drops don't really irritate the eye, they do dialate it so the vet can see inside. Some vets use 2 drops a few minutes apart, some do 2 at once and some only do one and wait a while. Generally, the eye is not fully dialated for about 10 minutes. It doesn't really affect the dogs' vision, but they will be sensitive to light (as you are after your eyes are dialated for exams) and so care should be taken to keep them indoors, or bring towels to cover the crate for a couple hours. Most dogs see well again in about an hour or two, but may look "dopey" to you for several hours more.

Paperwork - you will need the dog's AKC number, date of birth, and tatoo/microchip information in order to fill out the form. These are computer forms for scanning - color the dots corresponding to the letters you fill in above and is probably the most time consuming part of the procedure, especially if you have multiple dogs. So bring that information with you and be prepared to "color". Mary Beth Bissig will be working with Dr. Olivero at the National during the eye clinic this year, and will be able to help answer questions there.

The eye exam at the National will be done at the Headquarters hotel, so it should be very easy for those staying there to just take their dogs back up to their rooms and close the curtains for a while - you will be having dinner and attending the Annual Meeting anyway :)

The glaucoma test offered at the National is not a gonioscopy. Dr. Olivero will be using a small, pencil-like device to touch to the dog's eye. This will give a reading of the internal pressure in the eye. This test will indicate that the dogs current status is good - like the eye puff test humans get. Doesn't mean you can't or won't get glaucoma in the future, but will give a good baseline reading.

A gonioscopy - more of a clearing test or screening test for the likelihood that your dog might develop glaucoma later - is a test generally only available at veterinary hospitals or eye specialists' offices. This test is a bit more involved, as the dogs' eyes must be anesthetized with drops. This too, is not painful, but numbs the eye so a contact lens can be put on it. This enables the doctor to see the structural aspects of the eye that might indicate future predeliction to glaucoma. There are "holes" (technical term :)) inside the eye and angles, and assessing the number and size of the holes, as well as the drainage angles gives the doctor some degree of ability to predict the dogs' future likelihood of developing glaucoma. Small holes, or very of them, with bad angles might mean a higher chance of glaucoma developing - a predisposition. This is the test Valerie Bernhardt recommended in one of her Health updates a few newsletters ago. Also the test recommended in England by their "CERF" organization since Flat-Coats have now been added to the "A" list - meaning they have a higher than average number of dogs developing it. We should consider this test a part of our screenings, although it is not as readily available. Currently, the test need only be done once in a dog's lifetime, and usually given in percentages - i.e. 100% being all angles good and lots of drainage. The opthalmalogist in Chicago did a few gonioscopies, and I believe she said that dogs scoring 50-60% were questionable in breeding programs and below that should not be used.

Glaucoma can occur for non-hereditary reasons, after infections or injury to the eye area. But a gonioscopy is a good procedure to do at some point, if you have access or reason to be at a vet hospital.