Glaucoma - yes, Basset Hounds are extremely susceptable
 

Can it be treated?
 Since glaucoma occurs because fluid is not draining from the eye fast enough, the logical treatment is to open up the drain. Unfortunately, opening the drain and keeping it open is difficult. Therefore, many glaucoma therapies are also aimed at decreasing fluid production by the eye.
GLAUCOMA IS AN EXPENSIVE LIFETIME DISEASE TO TREAT,
ESPECIALLY PRIMARY GLAUCOMA.

• Medical Therapy. There are several different types of expensive eye drops and pills that help decrease fluid production or increase fluid drainage from the eye. While these medications are helpful in animals, they usually do not control glaucoma longterm. Consequently, they are used mostly to help prevent or delay the onset of glaucoma in the remaining visual eye, and as temporary treatment until surgery can be performed in the affected eye.

• Surgical Therapy. The type of surgical procedures available for glaucoma depends upon whether the eye still has the potential for vision. For visual eyes, intraocular pressure can be reduced by performing a cycloablation procedure and a drainage implant procedure. For permanently blind eyes, the eye can be removed (enucleated) with the option of placing a sterile prosthetic ball implant in the eye socket prior to skin closure, an implant placed inside the eye giving the pet a partially artificial eye, or an injection of a drug into the eye that kills the fluid-producing cells and reduces the pressure.

(None of this information is designed to be a substitute for veterinary care!)

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What is it? Glaucoma is increased pressure within the eye. Cells inside the eye produce a clear fluid ("aqueous humor") that maintains the shape of the eye and nourishes the tissues inside the eye. The balance of fluid production and drainage is responsible for maintaining normal pressure within the eye. In glaucoma, the drain becomes clogged but the eye keeps producing fluid. Therefore, the pressure in the eye increases. The increased pressure in the eye actually can cause the eye to stretch and enlarge.

There are actually two types of glaucoma; the hereditary type, Primary Glaucoma, is primarily the type that affects the Basset Hound. Primary Glaucoma usually begins in one eye, but almost always eventually involves both eyes, leading to complete blindness. It is extremely painful. This discomfort can result in decreased activity, less desire to play, irritability, or decreased appetite, and is often not apparent to the owner.

What are the signs?
The only way to know for sure if your pet has glaucoma is to have the intraocular pressures measured by a veterinarian. Signs of glaucoma can include a red or bloodshot eye and/or cloudy cornea. The 'third eyelid' - looking like a pink membrane, may be seen. Vision loss is also characteristic of glaucoma. However, loss of vision in one eye is often not obvious because animals compensate with their remaining eye. Eventually, the increased pressure will cause the eye to stretch and become enlarged. Unfortunately, eyes are usually permanently blind by the time they become enlarged.

If you suspect your Basset Hound has any eye problem, he or she needs to see a veterinarian immediately. There is a very small window for treatment time to try to save the sight. Any basset hound should have regular ophthalmic examinations. Glaucoma can cause blindness in spite of our best efforts. A high level of commitment to treatment and regular ophthalmic examinations is required to have the best chance of preserving vision. If your basset is diagnosed with primary glaucoma, please notify the dog's breeder if possible, so it is no longer spread through the lines.

If your basset has already lost one eye to Primary Glaucoma and the other eye is at risk of developing glaucoma:  The median time until an attack occurs in the other eye is 8 months. Prophylactic medical therapy for the remaining eye delays the onset of glaucoma from a median of 8 months to a median of 31 months.