What exactly is Eyeshine?
Eyeshine is the common term used to describe the glow-in-the-dark phenomenon you sometimes see in your Animal’s eyes at night or in pictures. The technical term for this is the tapetal reflex and it is due to a layer of reflective cells in the back of the eye called the Tapetum. Scientists believe the purpose of this structure may be to help animals see better in the dark, but we do not know for sure.
What types of Animals do you treat at Eyeshine Veterinary?
As we like to say at Eyeshine Veterinary, we treat ‘Anything with Eyes’. Dr. Reed’s post-veterinary training was in Comparative Ophthalmology and she has worked on everything from bamboo sharks to bears to pelicans to more Pugs than you can count – and she loves seeing all of them!
Why is the Eyeshine Veterinary logo a lemur?
Our logo is actually a Ringtail (also called a Ringtail Cat or Miner’s Cat, though it is not a feline at all). We chose it as our logo for Eyeshine Veterinary because the Ringtail is the official state mammal of Arizona and we are proud to be a locally-owned and operated Arizona business.
What do the letters “DACVO” stand for after Dr. Reed’s name?
DACVO stands for Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmology (ACVO), and it indicates that the ACVO certifies that Dr. Reed is a specialist in the field of veterinary ophthalmology.
What additional training do veterinarians have complete to become specialists?
After 4 years of veterinary school to become a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, veterinary specialists – also called diplomates – must complete an additional three to five years of advanced training in their dedicated field. This training includes both clinical hands-on practice, didactic learning, publication-quality research, and passing a multi-day board certification examination.
Is being a ‘specialist’ the same as a veterinarian that has a ‘special interest’ in a particular area of veterinary medicine?
No. Only veterinarians that have completed a formal residency program and met all the criteria for their particular area of veterinary specialization can call themselves specialists according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Are veterinarians who are not specialists allowed to provide the same services and perform the same surgeries that specialist veterinarians provide?
Graduates of AVMA-accredited veterinary schools are not limited in the scope of their practice by any state laws, but they are instructed to use their own sense of judgment to objectively assess their own abilities. All veterinarians have an obligation to their clients and to their patients to recommend the best solutions for a pets’ healthcare.
Can all of my pet’s veterinary needs be met at Eyeshine Veterinary?
No. At Eyeshine Vet, we only provide veterinary ophthalmology services. This means that we only treat the eyes. We do not, for example, have dental instruments. Eyeshine Veterinary is here to be part of your pet’s healthcare team – to work with you and your primary veterinarian to provide any ophthalmology services that your pet may need.
Why isn’t Eyeshine Veterinary open for emergencies?
The easy answer is simple – we have excellent veterinary emergency veterinarians in Phoenix. While we do understand that eye problems can occur suddenly and may require urgent attention, Eyeshine Veterinary has total confidence in our emergency veterinary community to take care of your pet – in the event that we are not available. It is also important to know that some emergency situations may appear as an eye problem initially – but are truly far more serious requiring more critical care than Eyeshine is able to provide. For example, one of the symptoms of rat bait poisoning in dogs is bleeding that often appears in the eyes before any other parts of the body. This, as you know, can be fatal to dogs if not treated urgently. That said, there are many possible causes of bleeding in the eyes, but if it occurs after-hours, we recommend having your pet evaluated by an emergency veterinarian to rule out any life threatening conditions. Eyeshine Veterinary recommends evaluation by an emergency veterinarian any time something changes rapidly with your pet or you feel concerned.
Arizona’s Only Independent Veterinary Ophthalmologist