Progressive Retinal Atrophy Generalised
Learn what the condition is, how it may be detected early, how it is treated or managed, and which breeds or species are linked to it.
Condition snapshot
A concise guide to the condition’s pattern, detection, management and urgency.
Breeding advice appliesUse the condition’s screening guidance and veterinary or genetics advice before breeding an affected or at-risk animal.
This snapshot is a general guide, not a diagnosis or treatment plan. New, severe or worsening signs require veterinary assessment.
About the condition
Generalised progressive retinal atrophy, or PRA, is a group of inherited diseases in which the photoreceptor cells of the retina gradually degenerate. Different breeds can carry different genetic forms, and even dogs from the same broad breed group may have disorders with different ages of onset and inheritance patterns. Despite this genetic diversity, the clinical course is similar: progressive, painless loss of vision.
In many forms, rod photoreceptors are affected before cones. Rods are responsible for vision in dim light, so night blindness is often the first sign. A dog may hesitate in dark rooms, refuse to go outside at night or bump into objects after lights are turned off. As cone function is lost, daytime vision also deteriorates until the dog becomes completely blind.
The age at which this happens varies enormously. Early-onset retinal dysplasias can cause night blindness in young puppies and severe visual loss within the first few years. Late-onset PRA may not become obvious until adulthood or middle age. The pupils often appear larger, and owners may notice increased eye shine as retinal tissue thins.
A veterinary ophthalmologist can identify characteristic retinal changes, including thinning of blood vessels and increased reflectivity.
PRA itself is not painful. Secondary cataracts can develop and may cause inflammation, but removing the cataract does not restore sight if the retina has already lost function. Dogs usually adapt remarkably well to gradual blindness when the environment is safe and predictable.
Because the degeneration is usually bilateral and progressive, owners commonly notice similar changes in both eyes rather than a sudden problem affecting only one side.
Results are mutation-specific. It can also help distinguish retinal blindness from cataract or neurological causes of vision loss. Report night blindness, reluctance to enter dark areas, dilated pupils or increasing collisions with objects.
Screening & Early Detection
Screening combines specialist eye examination with breed-specific DNA testing where available. Breeding dogs from predisposed breeds should undergo regular retinal examination by a veterinary ophthalmologist because not every form of PRA has a known genetic test. Annual examination is commonly used throughout breeding age.
DNA testing can identify clear dogs, carriers and genetically affected dogs for a specific mutation long before visual signs develop. A dog that tests clear for one PRA variant can still be at risk for a different retinal disease present in the same breed, so genetic testing should not replace clinical eye certification.
Electroretinography is particularly useful when early retinal dysfunction is suspected but the fundus still looks relatively normal.
Because vision usually deteriorates slowly, families may adapt unconsciously and recognise disease later than expected.
Screening programs should consider age of onset. One normal eye examination in a young adult cannot exclude a late-onset PRA that emerges several years later. Repeated clinical screening and the correct breed-specific DNA tests provide the most reliable approach to reducing affected litters.
Electroretinography measures retinal electrical function and can detect disease before obvious visual behaviour changes in some forms. DNA tests are available for many breed-specific PRA mutations, including progressive rod-cone degeneration, but no single test excludes every inherited retinal disease.
Treatment & Management
Inherited generalised PRA cannot currently be treated in a way that restores photoreceptors already lost to degeneration. Management therefore focuses on helping the dog adapt safely and monitoring for secondary eye problems that may cause pain.
Because blindness develops gradually, most dogs learn to rely more heavily on smell, hearing and memory. Keeping furniture in consistent positions, using barriers around stairs or pools, maintaining secure fencing and using a lead in unfamiliar areas all improve safety. Verbal cues such as “step” or “stop” can help the dog navigate changes in terrain.
Continue routine eye examinations even after vision is lost. PRA itself is painless, but cataracts, lens-induced uveitis or glaucoma can develop independently and require treatment. Cataract surgery is generally not useful when retinal function has already been lost; retinal testing may be needed before considering any lens procedure.
Nutritional supplements and antioxidant products are sometimes promoted for retinal disease, but they should not be presented as a cure. No supplement has been shown to reverse inherited photoreceptor degeneration once it is established.
Blindness itself is not painful, and many dogs remain active and confident once they learn a stable environment. Continued eye examinations are still worthwhile because cataract, inflammation or glaucoma can cause discomfort independently of the retinal degeneration and should be treated on their own merits.
Breeds or species affected
Afghan hound
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Airedale Terrier
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Akita
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Alaskan malamute
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American Cocker Spaniel
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American Eskimo dog
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American pit bull terrier
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American Staffordshire terrier
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Australian Cattle Dog
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Australian Kelpie
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Australian shepherd
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Australian stumpy tail cattle dog
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Australian terrier
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Basenji
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Basset hound
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Beagle
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Bearded collie
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Bedlington terrier
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Belgian Shepherd Dog (Groenendael)
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Bernese mountain dog
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Black and tan coonhound
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Border Collie
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Border terrier
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Borzoi
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Boston terrier
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Boxer
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Briard
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Brittany
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Brussels griffon
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Bull mastiff
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Bull terrier
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Cairn terrier
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Canaan dog
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Cardigan welsh corgi
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Cavalier king charles spaniel
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Chesapeake Bay retriever
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Chihuahua
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Chinese crested
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Chow chow
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Cockapoo
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Cocker spaniel
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English Cocker Spaniel
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Collie
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Collie (rough & smooth)
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Curly-Coated Retriever
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Dachshund
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Dalmatian
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Dobermann
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English Pointer
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English setter
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English springer spaniel
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Entlebucher mountain dog
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Field spaniel
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Finnish lapphund
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Smooth Fox Terrier
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Wire Fox Terrier
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German shepherd
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German shorthaired pointer
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Giant Schnauzer
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Glen of imaal terrier
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Golden retriever
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Goldendoodle
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Gordon setter
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Great Dane
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Pyrenean Mountain Dog
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Greyhound
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Havanese
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Hungarian Vizsla
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Irish red and white setter
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Irish setter
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Irish water spaniel
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Irish wolfhound
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Italian greyhound
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Japanese Chin
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Karelian bear dog
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Keeshond
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Kerry blue terrier
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Kuvasz
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Labradoodle
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Labrador retriever
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Lapponian herder
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Lhasa apso
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Lowchen
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Maltese
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Manchester terrier
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Mastiff
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Miniature Pinscher
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Miniature Poodle
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Miniature Schnauzer
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Norwegian elkhound
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Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever
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Old English sheepdog
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Papillon
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Pekingese
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Pitbull terrier
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Pomeranian
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Poodle (standard)
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Toy Poodle
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Portuguese water dog
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Puli
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Redbone coonhound
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Retriever (flat or curly coated)
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Rottweiler
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Saluki
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Samoyed
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Schapendoes
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Schipperke
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Schnauzer (miniature, standard)
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Scottish terrier
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Sealyham terrier
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Shetland sheepdog
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Shih tzu
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Siberian husky
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Silky terrier
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Sloughi
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Soft coated wheaten terrier
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Spanish water dog
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Springer spaniel
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Swedish lapphund
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Swiss hound
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Tibetan spaniel
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Tibetan terrier
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Welsh corgi
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Welsh springer spaniel
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Whippet
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Wire-haired pointing griffon
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Yorkshire terrier
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