
Affected BreedsĪs described above, brachycephalic breeds are impressively predisposed to proptosis. From a positive prognostic perspective, a constricted pupil is the preferred response to trauma. If the pupil is fixed and dilated, the prognosis is typically poor. Pupil size is yet another prognostic indicator. A desiccated, possibly even ulcerated cornea is more likely when over an hour has lapsed. The appearance of the cornea will also vary, typically depending on the amount of time lapsed between proptosis and treatment. In others, the eye appears almost normal and is protruding only slightly. In some patients, the globe is entirely proptosed, the extraocular eye muscles are avulsed, and the optic nerve is visible. The severity of the protrusion will vary. Proptosis is readily identified by visual inspection as the globe of the eye is visibly protruding from its orbit in all cases. While it is possible to preserve the eye’s structure and even the patient’s vision after proptosis, success depends on a wide variety of individual parameters. Their shallow orbits, prominent globes, and abnormal eyelid conformation create ideal conditions for proptosis.

Proptosis is considered very common, particularly among brachycephalic (short-headed, snub-nosed) breeds of dogs. So, too, may a milder trauma, such as when certain kinds of collars and restraint devices are used, or when tumors apply pressure to the back of the eye. Blunt trauma to the side or back of the head or any sharp trauma in the vicinity of the eye may lead to its proptosis. Severe corneal desiccation (dryness) and ulceration are common under these conditions.īy far the most common cause of proptosis is trauma. The cornea - the clear, delicate covering of the eye - is also severely affected under these conditions. When the globe is suddenly displaced forward in this way, the eyelids become trapped behind it, which leads to inflammation of the lids and swelling of the contents encased in the back side of the eye. This is a very common ocular emergency and one that requires immediate attention. Proptosis is the term used to describe the sudden protrusion of the eye (referred to as the globe) from its socket (referred to as its orbit).
