Eye examination

How it is done

Examination by a vet

Also called

Augenuntersuchung · oogonderzoek · examen oculaire

What it looks for

Known and Presumed Hereditary Eye Diseases (KP-HED) of the eye and its adnexa. This entry describes the ECVO scheme; Flanders and Britain run their own, so read it beside the country record. Under the ECVO scheme, evaluation of the entire eye is recommended — adnexa, anterior segment and posterior segment — and the examiner should evaluate all the conditions listed on the ECVO certificate; visual function is noted if abnormal, and all lesions found are written into the descriptive comments, whether hereditary or not.

Why it matters

The ECVO scheme covers only eye diseases that are disabling, painful or perturbing to the wellbeing of the animal, or that force surgery, another physiologically altering intervention, or lifelong medication. What a country running its own scheme covers is in the country record.

How it is done

This describes the ECVO scheme, which is what Switzerland requires. Other countries run their own schemes — Flanders uses its own labels and a two-year validity, and the British BVA/KC/ISDS scheme is not interchangeable with ECVO — so read this beside the country record. Under ECVO: a general screening examination of the eye and its adnexa, in darkened surroundings, always using a short-acting mydriatic to dilate the pupils. The recommended order is visual behaviour, then the ophthalmic reflexes and reactions (menace, dazzle, palpebral and pupillary light reflexes), then biomicroscopy of the adnexa and anterior segment, then dilation, then ophthalmoscopy and slit-lamp biomicroscopy of the posterior and anterior segments. Minimum equipment is a slit-lamp biomicroscope of at least 10x magnification and a binocular indirect ophthalmoscope with appropriate lenses. Partial or preliminary examinations are not permitted. Only panellists approved by the ECVO may examine under the scheme: ECVO Diplomates, Eye Scheme Examiners (veterinarians specifically trained and examined, whose training includes at least 500 supervised dog examinations), and ECVO affiliate members. The animal must be permanently identified — the scheme gives microchip or tattoo as examples — and the identification should be verified by the examiner or a designated assistant before the examination; the owner signs the first part of the certificate agreeing to the procedure, to the recording of results and to publication. Gonioscopy is not part of the basic examination but may be added, and is then done before the pupils are dilated. The ECVO certificate is valid for 12 months and animals used for breeding are recommended to be examined every year, though a country may set its own validity — Flanders sets two years; if the findings are inconclusive an earlier re-examination may be needed, and that is stated on the certificate.

What the results mean

• unaffected — Not judged to have the disease. A "suspicious" or "undetermined" finding that has disappeared at the next examination is judged unaffected, as is a "suspicious" finding that has not changed at a re-examination at least 12 months later. This does not apply to CEA-CH "go normals" - a dog whose choroidal hypoplasia lesion is no longer visible at the later examination is not judged unaffected on that ground.
• affected — Judged to have the known or presumed hereditary eye disease. A "suspicious" or "undetermined" finding that has progressed, or that is typical of the disease in a puppy and has not regressed, is judged affected. For distichiasis the panellist's "affected" decision is final; for conditions needing surgery, such as entropion, ectropion or macroblepharon, an appeal must be lodged within 14 days.
• suspicious — The animal shows minor but specific clinical signs of the disease. Further development will confirm the diagnosis, and re-examination is required.
• undetermined — The animal shows features that could fit the disease but the changes are inconclusive — not specific — and re-examination is recommended. In puppies up to 12 weeks it is also ticked for findings expected to regress with development, such as PPM, lens opacity, PHA or retinal folds, with re-examination after 3 months.

Where the result is recorded

• The appropriate national Kennel Club or National Scheme authority — the top (white) copy of the certificate is sent within 14 days of the examination, and that body undertakes to make the result publicly available within at most 10 weeks. Where online registration of results exists it is completed within three days. The name, registration and identification numbers and the results are made public, and an ECVO certificate from one country should be accepted by all European national registries. The document names these bodies generically and gives no web addresses, so the link points back to the document itself.
• The appropriate breed club — the yellow copy. The panellist sends it within at most 10 weeks of the examination; the owner can send it too, which the scheme words as a possibility rather than a duty.
• The panellist — keeps the pink copy as their own record; the owner or agent keeps a white copy and an optional blue copy may go to the referring vet.

Source: ECVO Manual: Chapter 3. The ECVO Hereditary Eye Disease Scheme (2024), Section 1 The Scheme; section 3 Panellists; section 5 Procedure for the Eye Examination (including "Procedures for eye examinations" and "Gonioscopy"); section 7 Publication of Results; section 8 Conflicting results; and "'Undetermined' and 'Suspicious'" (2024) — https://www.ecvo.eu/media/chapter_3_eye_scheme_2024.pdf · Explanations checked: 2026-08-11

All health tests

Explanations checked: 11 August 2026