 Antropion is a disorder in which the eyelid border slides inward, causing eyelashes and fur to brush against the eye's surface. Cats can develop antropion at any age, although it is more prevalent in kittens and elderly cats. Antropion in cats can be caused by eye infections, but it can also be caused by rubbing fur, which can cause an eye infection or damage to the eye surface, corneal ulceration. Antropion treatment varies depending on the cause, but it is typically a mix of eye medicines and surgical correction of the inward rolling of the eyelids. Antropion occurs when the edge of the eyelid rolls inward toward the surface of the eye. Antropion causes the eyelashes and the fur on the eyelid to rub against the surface of the eye, causing irritation to the eye membranes, conjunctiva, or damage to the cornea. Antropion can develop in either the upper eyelid or the lower eyelid but is most common in the lower lid in cats. Antropion typically occurs in young cats less than a year of age and elderly cats older than 10 years of age, but any age cat can become affected. Antropion is hereditary when it is caused by breed-related facial features, such as in the Persian, Himalayan, and Burmese breeds. This can also be referred to as primary antropion, meaning that it is related to the breed characteristics and was not caused by another eye problem. Causes of Antropion in Cats In young cats, antropion is most often caused by chronic squinting from eye infections which is called spastic antropion. This commonly get eye infections from viruses and bacteria which cause painful conditions like conjunctivitis and corneal ulcers. The eye pain causes intense squinting, which eventually causes the eyelid edge to flip inward, resulting in antropion. The rubbing fur from the antropion often worsens the eye pain, causing even more squinting and worsening of the antropion, leading to a vicious cycle of pain and further damage. In elderly cats, antropion most often develops due to the eye sinking deeper into the eye socket. As cats age, they lose fat and muscle from behind their eye leading to the sunken appearance of their eyes. As the eye sinks, the eyelid edge is also sink. Eventually, the sunken eyelids flip inward resulting in antropion. The irritation from the eyelid fur often causes more squinting and the antropion to worsen over time. Cats that are brachycephalic, meaning they have short noses and bulgy eyes like Persians, Himalayans, and Burmese can have antropion related to this facial conformation. The short nose and bulgy eyes cause crowding below the eye, pushing the inner, lower eyelids towards the eyes leading to inversion of the eyelid margin and antropion. Antropion can also be a developmental condition seen in young, unneutered male cats of the larger cat breeds, such as Maine Coons. These cats tend to have very large jowls or cheek tissue, and this can cause the lower eyelids to be pushed upwards towards the eyes, leading to antropion. Symptoms of Antropion in Cats. Antropion causes the fur to rub on the eye surface from the inward rolling of the eyelids, causing irritation and ocular pain. Symptoms often include squinting, sunken appearance to the eye, the raised third eyelid, pawing at the eye, increased tearing, epiphora, or mucoid eye discharge, red, puffy eye membranes, conjunctivitis, hazer cloudiness to the cornea, if a corneal ulcer is occurring. Antropion can develop in one eye or both eyes depending on the cause, and the eyes may have different symptoms if one eye is worse. Since these symptoms can develop with many different eye diseases, it is very important to have your cat examined by a veterinarian soon after symptoms start. Antropion is diagnosed during a complete eye exam, which will also likely include a specialized green dye, fluorescent stain, test to check your cat's eye for a corneal ulcer from the antropion. Hello. This video is sponsored by Beamix Pets. Are you looking for high quality cat collars at an affordable cost? Check out BeamixPets.com. Use coupon code KittenLife, to get 20% off. Eyelid surgery. Antropion is most often treated with eyelid surgery. While there are a few different techniques, antropion surgery involves removing a small wedge or smile shaped piece of fur and skin from below the abnormal eyelid margin. When this area is stitched closed with delicate sutures, the eyelid margin is pulled away from the eye, flipping it back into the normal position. Antropion surgery in cats has a very good success rate. Your vet may recommend delaying antropion surgery if your cat is a young, larger breed, male cat because sometimes they will grow out of it. Eyelid filler injections. Very recently, veterinary ophthalmologists have reported using a hyaluronic acid eyelid filler injection, like collagen lip injections, to treat eyelid and tropion in elderly cats. This technique is appealing as it is usually performed without anesthesia, which can be less expensive and less risky for older cats. The outcome is much harder to predict and control, however, as compared to traditional surgical correction. Antibiotics. Antibiotica medications are often used in cats with entropion to prevent a bacterial infection from developing, especially if there is a corneal ulcer. Sometimes pain medications are recommended even without surgery, but it is important to note that these are given by mouth, there are no pain relieving a drops for cats. Your vet may use a numbing a drop during the eye exam, but this cannot be used as an ongoing treatment for pain. Antropion surgery cost for cats. The cost of entropion surgery depends on a few main factors. Your geographic location or cost of living. Whether the surgery is performed by a general practice vet or a board certified veterinary ophthalmologist. If one eye unilateral or both eyes bilateral need surgery. How complicated of an entropion surgery is required for repair. Generally speaking, routine entropion surgery for one eye performed by a general practice vet would range from a few hundred dollars to one thousand dollars. Entropion surgery performed by a board certified veterinary ophthalmologist may be upwards of two thousand dollars or more, especially if the entropion is severe or requires extensive reconstructive techniques. These costs should include anesthesia and postoperative medications. Some veterinarians will also include the initial postoperative recheck exam with surgery fees. Antropion and cats recovery. After entropion surgery for your cat, a few things are to be expected. Your cat will have a small incision on the eyelid skin with stitches in the skin. Mild swelling and redness around the incision are normal for a few days after surgery. Your cat will need to wear a hard, plastic Elizabethan collar to prevent anything from touching or rubbing against the incision or eyeball, causing damage or infection. This is usually just for a few days, but your vet will provide exact guidelines. Your cat will need a medications usually two to three times daily after entropion surgery for one to two weeks. Medications for pain and inflammation are usually given by mouth for a few days after entropion surgery. As with any surgery, it is important to monitor closely for signs of infection within the incision or on the eye. Signs to watch for include excessive swelling or redness to the incision, pus like discharge from the incision or from the eye, squinting, which is getting worse than before surgery, redness and puffiness to the eye membranes that is worsening, haze or cloudiness to the surface of the eye, cornea, and tropion prevention to prevent entropion from chronic squinting. Eye infections should be treated early and you should have your cat reevaluated if the squinting comes back at any time after treatment. Entropion and elderly cats from sunken eyes can't really be prevented. However, some research has shown that both eyes should have surgery even if the entropion is only in one eye. For the eye without entropion, an eyelid shortening surgery performed at the same time can prevent entropion from developing later on. Most often seen in either young kittens with eye infections and chronic squinting or elderly cats with sunken eyes due to weight loss and muscle loss, entropion requires a medications to prevent bacterial infection and corneal ulcers. Entropion is usually best treated with entropion surgery. If you enjoyed this video, kindly press the like button. Also don't forget to subscribe with notifications on so that you don't miss out on videos like this. Thank you for watching.