>Has ANYONE had a vet with definitive tests for blindness and or
>deafness?????
 
Our vet checks carefully for cataracts, especially in older ferrets, and
it's fairly easy to figure out the condition of the eyes when cataracts are
present.  We might not know exactly how much a ferret can see, but we'll
have a ballpark idea.  For youngsters with congenital blindness, it's
generally guesswork.  If a ferret that seems otherwise okay tries to walk
off the edge of the exam table, or into a wall, those are clues.  Blindness
has been easier for us to diagnose than deafness, actually.  Blind ferrets
are at somewhat of a handicap in an unfamiliar place--like the vet's
office.  I think deaf ferrets never have a clue that they're missing
anything. :-)
 
For deafess, we do squeaky toy tests and (inadvertent) screaming ferret
tests.  If the alpha ferret decides to drag a newcomer around (we do NOT
encourage this behavior, but it happens) and the newcomer decides to
scream, we watch any ferrets we suspect might be deaf.  If they're awake
and they DON'T run over to check it out (or, alternatively, run away in
case they're next), they're probably either deaf or bloody apathetic. :-)
 
As far as I know, there's no definitive test for blindness or deafness.
Too many factors can cause either of them.  Once we can teach a ferret to
speak Human, and convince him not to lie, we'll have a chance.
 
I work with people with developmental disabilities, some of whom are
nonverbal, blind, with possible hearing problems as well.  And there is no
definitive way to diagnose lack of heaing or sight (or any other sense,
touch somewhat excepted) without a clear type of feedback.  If a patient
cannot understand and comply with "kick me if you can hear me," or some
such, all we can do is guess.  Obviously if someone has a detached retina,
they don't have good vision.  If someone has had major organic damage to
the ears, chances are good they've had hearing loss.  But loss of the
senses can be caused by a hundred different diseases, syndromes, types of
damage--as well as by psychological damage, so-called "hysterical"
blindness.
 
I'm not a doctor (or likely to be one), just someone who works in a related
field--and I've spent half a year trying to figure out if someone is deaf
or not. :-)
 
Jen and the Crazy Business
http://home.maine.rr.com/tesseract
[Posted in FML issue 3035]