What does your dog like to watch on TV? How a new study could soon improve vision tests for pets

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- As dogs get older, their vision can go, and you might not notice until they walk into something.

Now, veterinarians are learning more about how to test the eyesight of dogs - by having them watch television!

How hard is it to figure out what your dog likes to watch on TV? Do they like the news? Research reveals they would like it more if dogs were delivering it.

"People were not highly ranked," said Emergency Veterinarian Dr. Ross Bernstein. He keeps a close eye on his golden retriever Duma.

In a first-of its kind University of Wisconsin-Madison study, veterinary ophthalmologists wanted to find out which screen images piqued canine curiosity.

"Dogs and some cartoons were definitely ranked much higher than people," he said.

After surveying about 1,600 households, scientists discovered pooches would rather tune into dog shows, animal programming, and even the animated versions. But the point isn't to raise puppy viewership.

The goal is to develop more sophisticated ways to test your dog's eyes.

"If there's different studies in the future, if we can track their eye movements to see if there's different breed variations," said Bernstein.

Current vision tests conducted at the vet's office provide only the most basic information.

"The first thing I would do is called the 'menace response.' You pretty much just put your hand in front of their eye and see whether or not they blink," Bernstein said.

Vets can also check a dog's nerve reflexes.

"We just touch around the eye and they should blink," he said.

If man's best friend could talk, researchers say this would be the equivalent to asking a human if they're blind or not.

So for now, Bernstein advises yearly vet checks.

"To make sure that their eyes are healthy, their tear production is normal, there's no scratches or abrasions on the surface of their eye," he said.

The study did find the older a dog gets, the less interested they are in screens. Knowing when vision changes occur may lead to better treatments, and owners would know sooner when to adjust their pets' environment.

"Maybe we can help their lives more as they age," Bernstein said.

At least we now have a good idea of what your pup would prefer to watch on movie night.