An eye disease which can cause blindness has been identified in dogs, which may lead to treatments for similar illnesses that affect humans.

The findings may affect the life insurance policies of people afflicted by blindness.

Sinisa Grozdanic, assistant professor of veterinary medicine at Iowa State University, has identified Immune-Mediated Retinopathy (IMR) which causes loss of function in retinal cells and in some cases blindness, reports Medical News Today.

"The whole purpose is to start to understand the disease better. The more we understand these diseases, the more proficient we will be developing new treatments," he said.

According to the professor, IMR has previously been confused with a similar illness known as Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome (Sards).

He identified that antibodies which attack the retinal cells in Sards patients are produced in the eye, while in IMR they are produced elsewhere in the body and travel to the eyes via the blood stream.

According to Professor Grozdanic, these two diseases are similar to illnesses that afflict humans, so treatment for people may not be far off.

"This was a giant leap. We are getting better at understanding it, and based on this information, we may be able to modify and improve treatment of dogs and eventually human patients," he said.

The onset of blindness from Sards ranges from a few hours to around two weeks.

Professor Grozdanic's research is published in the March edition of Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice.

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