Phacoemulsification outcomes in Boston terriers as compared to non-Boston terriers: a retrospective study (2002-2015)

To compare visual outcome and cause of blindness between two groups of dogs undergoing phacoemulsification.

Study population consisted of 35 Boston terriers (BT; 70 eyes) and 77 non-Boston terriers (NBT; 154 eyes) that underwent bilateral phacoemulsification surgery.

Medical records were reviewed to determine visual outcome, complications leading to blindness and follow-up. A Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to estimate surgical success at 1 and 2 years postoperatively.

Eleven of 35 BT developed known vision loss, with 12 of 70 (17.1%) eyes becoming blind within one year of surgery, and 17 of 77 NBT developed known vision loss, with 19 of 154 (12.3%) eyes becoming blind within 1 year of surgery. No further vision loss was reported among those BT with a 2-year follow-up. In the NBT group, seven additional dogs, a total of 24 of 77 NBT developed vision loss, with a known total of 31 of 154 (20.1%) eyes becoming blind within two years of surgery. These results were not significantly different. The overall surgical success in both groups based on individual eyes was estimated to be between 80 and 90% at 1 year postsurgery and between 65 and 80% at 2 years postsurgery. Glaucoma was the leading cause of vision loss in both groups.

There was no significant difference in visual outcomes between a group of BT and a group of NBT undergoing bilateral phacoemulsification at the University of Tennessee between 2002 and 2015. Glaucoma was the leading cause of vision loss in both groups.