The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine will participate in a national service-dog eye exam event during the week of May 12. Registration is due before May 1.

UC Davis veterinary ophthalmologists such as David Maggs at the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital will be among the 140 board-certified veterinary ophthalmologists and 1,300 general veterinarians nationwide providing free sight-saving eye exams and preventive health reports for 5,000 to 10,000 service dogs. These include guide dogs, handicapped assistance dogs, detection dogs, and search and rescue dogs.

Dogs are commonly treated for cataracts, glaucoma, dry eye, eyelid abnormalities, corneal disease, retinal disease and eye injuries. Maggs explained that some dogs also suffer from genetic defects caused by line breeding -- the practice of exclusively reproducing purebred dogs -- because it limits the dog's gene pool.

The American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists will give dog owners an opportunity to help cure their loved ones by providing these services at no cost.

"This event honors these companions who assist the community," said Maggs. "Their eyesight is highly depended upon by their owners, especially since they operate on all sorts of levels."

These eye-health services are available for "working dogs" that were certified through a formal training program. To find out if a dog qualifies for the event, owners should register online before May 1 at http://www.acvoeyeexam.org/dog/dogframe.html.

After registering, an appointment for an exam at the veterinary teaching hospital at UC Davis can be made by calling (530) 752-1393 and selecting the "Ophthalmology Clinic" option. For more information about the event, please contact Lynn Narlesky at (530) 752-5257, lnarlesky@ucdavis.edu or visit http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/whatsnew/article.cfm?id=1868.