Note:  The author has had no veterinary or medical training. She has merely documented her experience with her dog's health problems. Be sure to check with your veterinarian before acting on any information you see here.

Dry eye is the common term for keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS). Tear production stops or is decreased. The front layer of the eye dries out and is very painful - like spending a day on a sailboat with sunburned eyes - ouch! Typical causes include trauma, chemicals, infections, tumors, nerve degeneration, and immune reactions.

When we picked up Amie from her lithotripsy evaluation at Purdue December 1996 we learned that she had "dry eye". She was given the following medications:

Optimmune 0.0 (for KCS)
Bac/Neo/Poly (triple antibiotic ophthalmic ointment for the conjunctivitis)

A strip of 1/4 inch of medicine was put into her eyes - BNP four times a day and Optimmune twice a day. It was expected that the medications would either heal the condition, but most likely, she would not respond to the treatment and need eye lubricants for the rest of her life. Keeping the eyes moist not only keep the dog more comfortable, but increase the chances of curing the disease.

After the antibiotic was gone we switched to a petroleum-based lubricant and Murine Tears. An option is to redirect some saliva duct to the eyes but this has its own problems. A year after Amie was diagnosed with KCS her eyes are much better and so we have discontinued using Optimmune. She sometimes still occasionally collects gunk in her eyes and then we go back on a vigorous program of lubrication and Optimmune. Since her bout with an eye infection in February 1997, we're pretty sure she hasn't had one since. The gunk turns green or really dry and scabby when there is infection. As of October '00 her eyes seem fine.
 

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