Black hairs around a panda's eyes have begun to turn white. (Photo/Video screenshot)
(ECNS) -- Several pandas at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding have been checked by consultants and are awaiting a final diagnosis for why the black hairs around their eyes have begun to turn white and shed.
Luo Qingli, director of the Chengdu Huaxia Eye Hospital, and dermatologist Ran Yuping with West China Hospital, Sichuan University, have assessed pandas Yongyong and Xiaoya.
It appears the pandas are suffering from agnogenic white eye disease, which can also affect humans, Luo said.
A report on their condition has been submitted to the breeding base and there will be an official release of the details of the report and the pandas’ conditions, he said.
A similar disease that causes white-rimmed eyes in humans is known as Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome, Luo said. Related to internal secretions, virus and immunity, it often afflicts young people, but the cause of the disease is unclear. Luo said the pandas did not have the Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome.
