The Tibetan is a very hardy breed and is considered long-lived with most living well beyond 12 years and many to 15 or 16 years. Some problems found in the Tibetan Terrier are: hip dysplasia (HD), patella luxation (PL), progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), lens luxation (LL), hypo-thyroidism, cataracts and canine neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (CCL/NCL). Some of these problems have been proven to be hereditary, and conscientious breeders have screened their stock and can explain these problems and their incidence. Many breeders will have knowledge of their puppies’ bloodlines and potential buyers are advised to ask questions and inquire as to evidence of any testing done on the sire and dam.

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Cataract is a common term used to describe changes in the lens of the eye that we usually attribute to older age, and call an "aging change." Many people have surgery to remove cataracts and we all know someone who has had cataract surgery, if we haven't had to undergo the procedure ourselves. It has a very high success rate in people, has few complications and is even an outpatient procedure performed under local anesthesia. This disease also occurs as an aging change in the eyes of dogs. Cataracts diagnosed in younger dogs are from genetic causes. This means that dogs can inherit cataracts as a "disease" from their parents.

The lens in located inside the eye and is a soft, transparent structure without blood vessels. It changes shape when small muscles pull on the lens and thus allows the eye to focus on views both near and far away. A capsule surrounds the lens and is necessary to supply shape and nutrition for the lens, as well as providing an anchor for the small muscles. A typical change that occurs in the lenses of dogs and people when they are older is called nuclear or lenticular sclerosis. This change occurs before cataracts form and typically is seen in dogs after they are 8 to 10 years old. The eyes will look gray, silver or bluish to the owner. The silver appearing color should come from the "inside" of the eye, not the surface. The surface or cornea should still appear clear and the iris or colored part of the eye should still be clearly visible.

Some of the cataracts that are small at the time of diagnosis will progress until they cause complete blindness. This prediction of the behavior or progression of a disease is termed "prognosis." It is important to discuss the prognosis for the cataract diagnosed in your dog with the veterinary ophthalmologist so that you know what to expect. Some cataracts that are genetic will progress and some will not. This is dependent on the breed and where the cataract is located within the lens.

Genetic cataracts are diagnosed in many breeds of dogs and are initially diagnosed from 2 months up to 7 years of age. The size of the cataract, whether blindness results from the cataract and the age of first diagnosis is breed dependent.

source: CERF