"Helping the helpers"

(Sounds of dog moving around.)

Dr. Anne Gemensky-Metzler: I think she went right through.

(Dog moving.)

Woman's voice: But she didn't in the first one, she went around.

(Both women talking.)

Gemensky-Metzler: So at least in this environment, she seems to be fine. Do you notice any night vision problems with her?

Man's voice: I was out with her the other night and I noticed...

Gemensky-Metzler: I'm Dr. Anne Gemensky-Metzler and I'm one of the faculty ophthalmologists. Dr. David Wilke is my colleague and on Monday he performed eye examinations for service dogs, and we're conducting those exams today. Dogs that are qualified for the exam would be leader dogs, seeing eye docs for the blind, this morning we had a dog that actually ted accelerants in fire -- so any type of service dog, search and rescue dog. We're providing these examinations for free. It's a nice service because of the usual expense of a specialty examination.

This is called a slit lamp or a biomicroscope. And i'm using a very bright focal light source with a beam. And it's giving me ten times magnification. I'm looking at the eyelids and they look fine. She has a tiny tiny little pinpoint cataract in the front of the lens, but nothing that would interfere with her vision, so I don't expect it to bother her and I don't expect it to get any worse.

The College of Veterinary Medicine definitely is always interested in outreach programs. As well as a collegewide program, our Omega Tau Sigma fraternity does something called the explorer's club. And they engage junior high and high school students in veterinary related programs to expose them to the profession.

They conduct an event like an anatomy wet lab or something like that once a month, they have an activity.

We have always done a lot of service dog work anyway but it was nice to have a official structured to be able to do it gratis for the people who own these dogs.

Guide dogs can be a godsend for people with disabilities. But only if their senses are up to the task.

"Vision is extremely important" for the dogs, says Dr. Anne Gemensky-Metzler, an ophthalmologist in Ohio State's College of Veterinary Medicine.

"In many cases, the owners are blind and the dog needs to be able to see well for crossing streets and detecting dangerous environments," she says. "They help pick up objects. If they can't see well, they're not going to be able to navigate and find the objects that they're supposed to pick up."

That's why ophthalmologists at Ohio State's College of Veterinary Medicine recently offered free eye exams to service dogs. The university was part of a national effort: More than 160 veterinarians throughout the country participated in the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists' National Service Dog Eye Exam Day.

Among the dogs seen at Ohio State were seeing-eye dogs, a police dog who sniffs out accelerants in arson cases, and a seizure alert dog, who senses oncoming seizures and alerts his owner to seek help.

"We have always done a lot of service dog work," says Gemensky-Metzler, "but it was nice to have a official structured to be able to do it gratis for the people who own these dogs."

"It's a nice service because of the usual expense of a specialty examination"--about $120 for an initial eye exam and about $80 for a recheck, she says.

During the exam, Ohio State ophthalmologists check dogs' eyes for redness and discharge, check ocular reflexes, and screen for a variety of conditions, including dry eye, glaucoma, injuries to the cornea, and cataracts.

The free eye exams are just one of many outreach initiatives of the College of Veterinary Medicine. Among others, the College offers:

* A Good Samaritan program, which relies on donations to treat ill or injured stray animals, which are then placed for adoption.

* Programs to help grieving pet owners come to terms with the loss of their pet.

* A partnership with the Capital Area Humane Society, which allows senior vet students to examine, spay and neuter cats and dogs.

More veterinary outreach programs.