For over 30 years BVA (British Veterinary Association) has operated a hereditary eye disease screening programme in conjunction with the Kennel Club (KC) and the International Sheep Dog Society (ISDS). The main purpose of the scheme is to ensure that there is no evidence of hereditary eye disease in dogs used for breeding. The scheme now covers 11 hereditary eye conditions in over 50 breeds of dog.
There are two categories of inherited eye disease:
The scheme tests for the following congenital conditions:
And the following non-congenital conditions:
Breeders are advised to submit dogs for annual eye tests, since some diseases have late onset of clinical signs.
It is also possible for litters to be tested for congenital hereditary conditions such as Collie eye anomaly and Multifocal retinal dysplasia when they are between six and twelve weeks of age.