Dog eye injury question?

Question
Hi, thanks for your time.  

I have a 9 year old Basenji and live on a farm.  A few nights ago I was calling him inside and he sustained what seems to be a minor injury to his eye area...I think he just ran into a fence wire, branch or something since it was dark out.  It happened as he was coming in- I heard him yelp out where there is some fencing but I couldn't see what happened.  Once I cleaned off the blood, it appears that the brunt of the injury is on the uppper eyelid.  The eye itself appears to have no trauma save for an extremely minor graze across the cornea which I can only see under very bright light.  I am not 100% sure about eye anatomy- but the best comparison would be like a superficial scratch on human skin that only breaks the very top layer of skin....that's sort of what it looks like.  I flushed the eye with plain saline solution (not contact solution) and put some peroxide on the eyelid.  

The pupil responds to light exactly the same as the other eye, he is not favoring that eye, rubbing it or squinting.  There is no discharge. He is playful as ever...typically he is a wuss when in pain so I'd imagine he would show it if it was a bother. If he hadn't yelped & come in the house bleeding, I'd have never known he had an injury.  This is the only reason he hasn't been to our vet yet- I honestly don't think the eye is bothering him.  

The ONLY difference is that now, the injured eye doesn't "shine" as brightly as the other eye, at night.  Usually when I let him out at night, when I call him in from the back porch I can see both his eyes gleaming in the dark.  Now I just see one, until he gets closer to the house, then I can see a very faint "gleam" out of the other one.  But it definitely isn't what it used to be.

Is the loss of "shine" in the injured eye a sign that the injury is more severe than I judged it to be?  Could it have pierced that layer of light-reflective stuff at the back of the cornea somehow?  What is the possible cause for this- and more importantly, is it a problem that would require a vet visit?  

Ordinarily I'd just bring him in but honestly I am dealing with some financial issues; a job loss just before the holidays, etc.  I figured I'd try asking before I committed to anything financial.  But if you think he needs to be seen, I will get him taken care of right away.  I am just looking for some feedback & an idea of what could have happened!  

I appreciate any info you can give me.  Thanks & have a wonderful holiday :)
-Danielle

Answer
Danielle -

Any injury to the eye - no matter how small it is perceived to be - should be evaluated by a doctor.  A mild injury to the eye can progress to a major eye injury  because damage to the eye can occur extremely rapidly.  

A couple of quick tests can help determine if the cornea of your dog's eye is damaged.

Best Regards,

Charlotte Sherrell, DVM