Cats’ eyes are beautiful and delicate organs, and they are also very fragile, so during daily maintenance, we should observe carefully, and if there are any mild symptoms, we must take the cat to the doctor as soon as possible to avoid irreparable damage.
1. Common abnormal symptoms of cat’s eyes
Cats’ eyes are yellow, amber, light brown, bronze, green, and blue, and come in three shapes: round, oblique, and almond.
If the following unusual conditions occur, it means that the cat’s eyes are sick:
• Vision loss
• Excessive tearing
• Cloudy and dull eyes
• Purulent discharge
•strabismus
• Sunken or bulging eyes
• Inflammation or crusty skin around the eyes
• The third eyelid can be visibly seen
2. Common eye diseases of cats and their treatment
2.1 Tears
Tear syndrome should pay attention to distinguish the cat’s normal tearing, which is usually manifested by excessive tear secretion and dyeing the hair under the cat’s eyes to brown or reddish-brown.
This eye disease may be related to eye allergies, respiratory tract infections, and blocked tear ducts, and often appears in cats with flat faces such as abnormal shortness and Persia.
Treatment: Wipe the cat’s eyes with clean wipes or makeup remover cotton on time every day, and if there is a nasolacrimal duct blockage, it can be treated by surgery.
2.2 Keratitis
Because the cornea is in direct contact with the outside world, there is a higher chance of infection. Eyelash outgrowth, trauma, eyelid entropion or conjunctivitis can cause corneal inflammation, resulting in tearful eyes, corneal cloudiness, eye pain, and corneromalacia in cats with vitamin A deficiency.
Treatment: Use steroid-free eye drops or ointments, saline to clean up secretions around the eyes, and wear Elizabeth circles.
2.3 Conjunctivitis
The thin membrane on the white eyeball is called the conjunctiva, and it is a common condition that can cause inflammation of the conjunctiva due to trauma, bacterial and viral infections, allergies, dust, etc.
Conjunctivitis can cause cats to have too much eye droppings, tearing and blinking, instantaneous membrane exposure, and even cause the conjunctiva to swell.
Treatment: Remove secretions around the eye and use antibiotic eye drops or ointment.
2.4 Glaucoma
Glaucoma is caused by an increase in the anterior aqueous fluid between the cornea and the lens in the cat’s eye, and increased pressure in the eye. The main causative factors include internal bleeding in the cat’s eyes, and angle dysplasia that prevents the normal circulation of eye fluid.
Treatment: For mild glaucoma, intravenous injections of intraocular pressure lowering drops or osmotic diuretics are usually given, and when the symptoms are severe, the best treatment is surgery, removal of the eyeball and implantation of silicone balls.
2.5 Cataracts
Cataract is defined as: the non-physiological opacity of any crystal fiber or lens sac, regardless of the cause, will make the cat’s pupils white, vision will decrease, and the white area will increase or shrink with the intensity of light.
Common causes are congenital malformations, genetics, toxins, radiation, trauma, systemic diseases, and aging.
Treatment: Surgical removal of the lens is required to restore the cat’s vision. If surgery is not possible, cataract drops can be used to slow down the progression of the disease.
3. Tips
3.1 Do not confuse conjunctivitis and keratitis, delay rescue, the conjunctiva is the surface layer of the white part of the eye, and the cornea is the transparent tissue at the front of the eyeball.
3.2 It is not that there is a white mist in the eyes or that there is a cataract, the spots on the surface of the lens of the elderly cat are not necessarily cataracts, but may only be caused by the change of the refractive index of the lens in old age, and it does not affect vision.
3.3 Mild inflammation of cats' eyes is a common condition and is easy to treat on its own. Mild bacterial inflammation usually involves redness and swelling of the eyes and a sticky substance secreted in the eye. In this case, don't worry, clean up the secretions first, and then drop eye drops on time, and it will generally heal in 1~2 weeks.