Shih Tzu with bulging eye - seen vet. Advice needed!

[littledid]

My (great) aunt has a 15 year old Shih Tzu who has been suffering from a bulging and cloudy eye for several months. She was taken to the vet's who said as long as it wasn't causing her any pain, to monitor the situation. I should mention the dog is in otherwise good health and is sprightly at times. Unfortunately the eye is getting worse and following another consultation with the vet, my aunt has been told the eye needs to be removed as it could 'pop out' at any time. The operation isn't til the end of next week so obviously isn't an emergency, as such. My question is this:
Does anyone have any experience of this and what is the risk that the eye will dislocate? Obviously there are huge risks with the op itself and the age of the dog, so my aunt is having a real dilemma over whether or not to go ahead. Thank you in advance!

Shih Tzu unfotunatly due to their design are much more prone to eye luxations than other breeds, there is also a risk that the eye could actually explode as well though this is a smaller risk. From my experience a bulgy cloudy eye is almost certainly causing some level of discomfort and I have removed quite a few from similar aged dogs.
In the vast majority of cases the dogs have a much improved quality of life after the surgery and in one notable case the dog had a dramatic improvement in character, we can only guess that chronic pain made the boy very miserable.
It is actually a relatively short procedure and the cosmetic appearance once the hair has grown back is very good, most people double take before they realise that an eye is missing.

Lizcat
Thank you so much for your reply - it is kind of you to take the time to post. I have passed on the information to my aunt and she was really pleased and somewhat relieved. Deep down she knew the operation was necessary but it helped make her mind up when she heard that quality of life is improved and it is a relatively short op. I think she's going to speak to the vet to see if the operation can be brought forward (the thought of dealing with the eye, if it comes out, is worrying her) but, if not, then it'll be Friday as planned.
Once again, thank you!

Just an update for anyone in the same situation and for you Lizcat. The operation was a great success and the dog is very much back to normal. A happy ending and thank you again for the good advice!