All my puppies are clinically eye tested for CEA at about seven weeks of age, by Veterinary Ophthalmologist Mrs Beverley Cottrell (Animal Eye Ltd) at the Cambridge University Vet School. CEA cannot be seen by the naked eye, and only a few specialist vets are trained to scrutinise the canine eye. The examination is conducted under the BVA/KC (British Veterinary Association/Kennel Club) scheme, which covers Rough and Smooth Collies, Shetland Sheepdogs and Border Collies. CEA is a genetic fault in the retina of the eye, which means that your puppy may not have 100% perfect vision and, if it were human, would possibly require corrective lenses! The importance of screening young puppies is to ascertain their eye status before they go to their new homes. As CEA is not progressive, your puppy’s vision will not deteriorate and it will not go blind, neither will it suffer any pain. Indeed, there are many working dogs with CEA and, for the most part, owners are unaware that their dog has this condition. The Kennel Club/British Veterinary Association'e eye scheme is a voluntary scheme and so it is the breeder's responsibility to decide if he/she wants to routinely test his/her puppies. Responsible breeders regularly test their stock but, unfortunately, there are many others who do not and, as a result, it is believed all Rough Collies in the UK carry a defective CEA gene and therefore there are no genetic clears! The BVA/KC 's clinical eye examination is most important as it determines if an animal is CEA 'clear' or 'affected', whether mildly or severely. Severely affected puppies may be blind, have detached retinas or colobomas (holes in the retina). Unfortunately the clinical examination is unable to determine the genetic status of the dog and the few clinically clear Rough Collies that have so far been genetically tested have all been diagnosed as affected! Breeding two genetically clear dogs together produces only genetically clear puppies, whereas a carrier animal can produce both carriers and affected. Until recently we have only had access to the BVA/KC's clinical examination scheme, the results of which can be less than satisfactory, but there is now a CEA genetic test which provides accurate information on the true genetic status of our Collies' eyes. The two Kennel Club approved testing laboratories are Optigen and Genomia The only way to eradicate CEA is for all breeders to routinely test all their baby puppies, and any clinically 'clear' pups then DNA tested. In theory only the genetic clears or genetic 'carriers' should then be used for breeding though, in the case of an otherwise good dog, a genetically affected animal should not be dismissed from the dwindling Rough Collie gene pool! However, should your Collie puppy be slightly affected with CEA, please be assured it is neither a progressive nor a painful condition, so your Collie will still live a full and happy, active life and can see well enough to chase a ball or see birds at a distance!! If you would like more information about CEA and how it may affect your Collie, please contact your vet or one of the organisations below. Prof. Peter Bedford, Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield 01797 662255 Mrs Beverley Cottrell, Animal Eye Ltd, 109 North End, Meldreth, Royston, Herts. 01763 261674, email bevocula@aol.com | 
