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How to Take a Picture of an Eye

Is Your Pet's Eye Different?

If you’ve noticed anything unusual with your pet’s eyes, sending us clear, detailed photos can help us evaluate the situation before your appointment. By following a few simple guidelines, you can capture high-quality images that help our team prepare for your visit — and in some cases, even offer support right away.

Preparing to Take a Focused Eye Photo

Prepare the Environment

For the best results, take the photo indoors, ideally in a dimly lit room. Avoid natural light from windows or open doors—closing blinds or curtains can significantly enhance the photo quality.

Adjust Your Camera Settings

Turn your camera’s flash on—this is key for evenly lighting your pet’s eye. Auto flash may not work, it is best to make sure the flash is set to On. If your device allows, tap on your pet’s eye on the screen to set it as the focus point, which can greatly improve detail.

 

Additionally, you can take a video with the Camera Flash set to On and then take screenshots where the eye is in focus. In phones with a Macro camera setting, bringing the camera closer to the eye will result in a more up close and focused image.

Position Your Pet

It’s helpful to have someone assist you by gently holding your pet. They can carefully open the eyelids using their thumb and forefinger, being cautious not to apply pressure to the eye. Try to get your pet to look directly at the camera for the clearest shot.

Tips for Photographing Your Pet's Eyes Clearly

Positioning:

Have your pet’s eye in the center third of the photo. Taking the photo from too far away or off center can make it more difficult for us to assess the eye.

Flash and focus:

Make sure to use both the flash and focus features. Good lighting and a proper focus are important for capturing details.

Comparison Photos:

Sending photos of both eyes may be helpful in some cases to compare the changes noted in the abnormal eye.

How to Know if Your Picture is Good

Kayla Minasi

Kayla Minasi

Veterinary Assistant

Kayla has been in the veterinary field for nine years with over 2 years of experience in ophthalmology and enjoys providing compassionate, attentive care to every patient. Outside of work, she loves traveling, painting and binge-watching movies and is a proud pet parent to Godiva, a tortoiseshell cat, and Kuma, a chihuahua.

Sarah Wood

Sarah Wood

Veterinary Assistant

Sarah is a veterinary assistant who brings over a decade of veterinary experience to our practice, with four of those years being in ophthalmology. She graduated from Georgia Tech in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, and is actively pursuing her veterinary technician license. Sarah is passionate about ophthalmology, patient experience, and fostering client relationships. In her spare time Sarah enjoys baking, nail art, and spending time with her husband and six fur children.

Emery Wach

Emery Wach

Customer Service Representative

Emery is a GA transplant who’s lived all up and down the East Coast and abroad, but has lived in Atlanta the longest when she moved here in 2011. She especially loves Atlanta’s varied food scene, living on the Beltline, having an international airport nearby, and going to shows at the Masquerade. She’s been a CSR at a primary care vet, an Adoption Counselor at the Humane Society, and most recently has been doing specialty and emergency veterinary Referrals. She is a ‘cat person’, and has two sweet kitties Pepper and Suki, and a very good shepherd-hound mix named Bojack. She’ll be the first to tell you about the joys of having a blind animal, and thinks Ophthalmology is the coolest type of vet med.

April Bradley

April Bradley

Customer Service Representative

April grew up in Stone Mountain, Ga, where her love of animals started with rescuing kittens and other neighborhood pets.

She has been apart of the veterinary industry for the 20 years starting in veterinary primary care and extending into various veterinary specialties.

In her spare time she enjoys traveling and visiting different countries, trying new restaurants,  and spending time with family, friends and her sweet old pup, Rocko.

Marianne Gibson

Marianne Gibson

Licensed Veterinary Technician

Marianne is our Registered Veterinary Technician and has been working in vet med for over 8 years. She worked at the University of Georgia’s veterinary teaching hospital in emergency and critical care for several years as well as a veterinary general practice in Atlanta. Marianne also graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelors degree in biology.

She is the proud mother of three cats: Crow, Atticus and Minerva. She would love even more animals when she has a bigger house.

In her free time Marianne loves to foster kittens and run on the beltline. She also loves thrifting at her local Goodwill!

Alex Sigmund

Alex Sigmund

Owner & Specialist

Alex Sigmund, DVM, DACVO is a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist who is passionate about providing thoughtful, compassionate eye care for pets. He is widely known as “The Vet Eye Guy” on social media, where he helps pet owners better understand eye disease and treatment options.

Dr. Sigmund believes excellent ophthalmology care combines advanced medicine with clear communication and a calm, supportive experience for both pets and their families. He works closely with referring veterinarians to ensure seamless, collaborative care.

He earned his veterinary degree from the University of Georgia and completed advanced specialty training in veterinary ophthalmology at the University of Tennessee. In addition to dogs and cats, Dr. Sigmund has experience working with exotic and zoological species through partnerships with zoos and aquariums.

Outside of the clinic, he enjoys time with his partner and his Ragdoll cat, King Louie, as well as growing lots of houseplants.

Alessandra Keenan

Alessandra Keenan

Owner & Specialist

Dr. Keenan grew up in Alpharetta, Georgia, where horseback riding first inspired her love of veterinary medicine. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia in 2012, followed by her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2015. After graduation, she completed a small animal rotating internship at the Purdue University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, followed by a private practice ophthalmology specialty internship at Animal Eye Guys in South Miami, Florida.

Dr. Keenan was then accepted into Auburn University’s combined three-year Master’s degree and Comparative Ophthalmology residency program, which she completed in 2020. She has been practicing as a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist in South Florida since that time and is excited to return to Georgia to provide high-quality eye care to animals in the greater Atlanta area.

While she loves treating domestic pets, Dr. Keenan also has extensive experience in equine ophthalmology and has worked pro bono with wildlife rehabilitators. She especially enjoys working with wild raptors and the reward of seeing them released after treatment. In her free time, she enjoys reading, baking, and spending time outdoors with her husband and their dog, Archer.