By: Kathleen Beatriz Lapig
Knowing someone’s point of view is something we are always bugging to know about.
What they think about us, how they see us. . . and we are always curious about how do dogs see the world.
Do you know what a dogs eyes see when you look at him? Do you know why dogs wag their tails? This blog provides reliable answers to the questions that are asked most often by dog lovers.
Dogs Eyes view offers complete insights into our relationship with man’s best friend and shows how the pet’s sense of sight operates. Dogs have excellent vision. Their pupils can change their size and shape to adjust to the available light, allowing them to “see” better in low-light settings (like at night) than humans. Dogs can see ultraviolet light too, allowing them to see more colors than we humans can.
Dogs eyes can see in color, just like humans. The dogs eyes anatomy of a dog differs from that of humans, but both have three main parts: the cornea, iris, and lens. The dogs eyes cornea is the outermost layer of the eye and is responsible for focusing light onto the retina. Dogs eyes see the world in much the same way that people do, but with a few complications.
Dogs eyes have excellent peripheral vision, allowing them to see things that might otherwise be hidden from us. The dogs eyes adjust almost instantly to different lighting conditions and they enjoy being outdoors as much as we do. Dogs see the world through their eyes, which are similar to human eyes. The dog’s pupil responds to light and dark, and it can dilate or constrict along with changes in the amount of light.
To see blue and yellow, dogs and humans rely on neurons inside a part of the eye called the retina. These neurons are excited in response to yellow light detected in the cone cells (which are also inside the retina), but the neurons’ activity gets suppressed when blue light hits the cones.
A dog’s brain interprets the excitation or suppression of these neurons as the sensation of yellow or blue, respectively. However, in dogs and in people who are colorblind, both red light and green light have a neutral effect on the neurons. With no signal to interpret these colors, the dogs’ brains don’t perceive any color. Where you see red or green, they see shades of gray.
And did you know that dogs also have eye structures that people lack:
Tapetum lucidum: Located behind the retina, the tapetum lucidum reflects light through the retina, increasing the light available to the photoreceptors. This is why animals see better at night, and it makes an animal’s eyes appear to glow at night when lights reflect from the animal’s eye.
Third eyelid: Known as the nictitating membrane, the third eyelid is whitish in color and is located at the corner of the eye, near the nose. It helps protect the eye from scratches and also moves across the eye when a dog blinks to help produce tears.
And although dogs can’t read an eye chart, nor do they need to be able to read or write. Because they have less need for good eyesight, known as visual acuity, checking a dog’s vision is very basic.
If a dog can walk into a room through the door or navigate an obstacle course in an exam room in bright and dim light, they are said to have a decent vision. Dog eye specialists, or veterinary ophthalmologists, can perform dog eye exams, check their vision, and perform surgery to help dogs see better, such as cataract surgery.
Now, did this simple informative blog helped you know about your fur friend’s eyesight?
