Hereditary Cataracts

Hereditary Cataracts (HC), or Juvenile Hereditary Cataracts, are a cloudiness of the lens of the eye, causing blurred or lost vision. They develop at an early age (9-15 months) and continue to develop until two to four years, causing blindness if untreated.

An autosomal recessive, or dominant with incomplete penetrance (Australian Shepherd Type), condition caused by a mutation in the HSF4 gene.

Ricketts SL, Pettitt L, McLaughlin B, Jenkins CA, Mellersh CS. A novel locus on canine chromosome 13 is associated with cataract in the Australian Shepherd breed of domestic dog. Mamm Genome. 2015 Jun;26(5-6):257-63

Mellersh CS, Pettitt L, Forman OP, Vaudin M, Barnett KC. Identification of mutations in HSF4 in dogs of three different breeds with hereditary cataracts. Vet Ophthalmol. 2006 Sep-Oct;9(5):369-78