Senses and Diminished Sight

Eyesight and hearing are the senses that deteriorate most and where deterioration is most noticeable and most problematic.

The Labrador Retriever, inherit the risk of developing mature-onset cataracts. If a cataract does develop, the crystalline lens of the eye is removed but, unlike in humans, it is rarely replaced with a plastic lens; the anatomy of a dog's eye makes this a more difficult solution in dogs.

Cloudy changes in older dogs' eyes may resemble a cataract but are more likely to be an age-related connective tissue change in the lens called lenticular sclerosis.

Every dog over the age of nine develops sclerosis and suffers from nearsightedness. A dog sees through a mist and can still see movement, especially at a distance of 20 feet (six meters), but it has difficult}1 finding a ball in front of its nose.