Mysterious disease turns pandas' black eye patches white

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The characteristic black patches around the eyes of several pandas in southwest China have turned white, with doctors unable to determine the cause behind the color change despite months-long examination.

Earlier this year, visitors to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding spotted the discoloration of the pandas' eye markings and published photos online, questioning whether the pandas were sick. The news triggered public concern, with ophthalmologists and dermatologists dispatched to examine what exactly was happening to the bears.

China News Service Photo

Luo Qingli, an ophthalmologist at Chengdu Huaxia Eye Hospital, investigated two of the most serious cases only to confirm that the pandas have shed the fur around their eyes without giving a diagnosis.

The staff at the base told Beijing Youth Daily that the situation has not worsened, even though it has been a few months.

"Besides fur loss around their eyes, no itch or scab was found. At the same time, they have a stable neurological condition and normal appetite, without abnormal findings in blood tests and other biological indications," read a report released by the panda base.

Photo via the WeChat account of Chengdu Huaxia Eye Hospital

The base has been closely watching the pandas’ health, although it did not quarantine them so the bears can maintain their regular activities.

As the disease has yet to be identified, no medical treatment has been prescribed.

According to reports, doctors have excluded the possibility of a parasitic infection and Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada syndrome, which affects pigmented tissues or melanin and causes skin discoloration in humans.