Kansas State University

MANHATTAN -- Guide dogs, handicap assistance dogs, detection dogs and search-and-rescue dogs selflessly serve the public. To honor these animals and their work, the Veterinary Health Center at Kansas State University is participating in the sixth annual American College of Veterinary Opthalmologists/Merial National Service Dog Eye Exam Event to screen service animals that dedicate their lives to serving the public.

The Veterinary Health Center will be offering eye exams Tuesday, May 7, and Tuesday, May 14, in Mosier Hall. Beginning April 1, owners/agents can register the animal at http://www.ACVOeyeexam.org. Registration ends April 30.

During the complete ocular exam, board-certified ophthalmologists Amy Rankin, assistant professor of clinical sciences, and Jessica Slack, assistant professor of ophthalmology, will look for problems, including redness, squinting, cloudy corneas, retinal disease, early cataracts and other serious abnormalities. Early detection and treatment are vital to these working animals.

"Our goal is to screen active working animals for eye diseases that could impair the ability to perform their job, and in doing so help them better serve their human owners and handlers," Slack said.

The Veterinary Health Center has set up the Service Dog Eye Exam Fund to provide these exams at no cost to the owner. To qualify, dogs must be active working animals certified by a formal training program or organization or currently enrolled in a formal training program. The certifying organization can be national, regional or local in nature.

For more information about American College of Veterinary Opthalmologists/Merial National Service Dog Eye Exam events, go to http://www.acvoeyeexam.org.