 A cat's normal vision is superior to humans, but they are also susceptible to many of the conditions that affect our vision. If left untreated, cataracts, opacity of the lens, can lead to glaucoma. Cataracts are rarer in cats than in dogs, so if cataracts are found, it's important to find and treat the underlying cause. Surgery to remove the affected lens is possible with eligible cats, and lens implants are sometimes used to approximate normal vision. Glaucoma is increased pressure within the eye. Tissues inside the eye produce aqueous humor, a clear fluid, which maintains the shape of the eye and nourishes the tissues inside the eye. The balance of fluid production and drainage is responsible for maintaining normal pressure within the eye. With glaucoma, the drain becomes clogged and the eye keeps producing fluid. Therefore, the pressure in the eye increases and can cause the eye to stretch and enlarge, as well as blind the eye. Primary glaucoma in most cats usually begins in one eye, but it eventually involves both eyes and leads to complete blindness. Secondary glaucoma occurs when other eye diseases cause decreased fluid drainage. Common causes of secondary glaucoma are uveitis, inflammation inside the eye, advanced cataracts, cancer in the eye, lens subluxation or luxation, and chronic retinal detachment. Glaucoma in cats is usually secondary to chronic inflammation of the uveal tract, uveitis, which is the pigmented, vascular part of the eye. Determining if your cat has primary or secondary glaucoma is important because the treatment needed and the prognosis for vision are different for each type. The only way to verify that your cat has glaucoma is to have the intraocular pressures measured by a veterinarian. Signs of glaucoma can include a red or bloodshot eye and or a claudicornia. Vision loss is also characteristic of glaucoma. However, loss of vision in one eye is often not obvious because animals compensate with their remaining eye. Eventually, the increased pressure will cause the eye to stretch and become enlarged. Unfortunately, eyes are usually permanently blind by the time they become enlarged. Primary Glaucoma. Primary Glaucoma is hereditary or breed related and is quite rare in cats. Certain breeds, such as the Burmese, Persian, and Siamese are more prone to primary glaucoma than other breeds. The onset of signs typically occurs in one eye first. However, if one eye develops glaucoma, there's a high likelihood that the other eye will eventually become affected as well. Secondary Glaucoma. Among cats with glaucoma, secondary glaucoma is more common. It occurs secondary to another disease. Getting diagnostic testing to determine the underlying cause of a glaucoma is critical. Once the cause is determined, your veterinarian can recommend appropriate treatment and give a prognosis for your cat's vision loss. Diagnosis of Glaucoma in cats. Your vet may use multiple devices to do this. It's important to bring your cat to the veterinarian if you notice eye abnormalities or any other signs of illness. Problems with the eye can quickly go from bad to worse, so you should not wait to see if your cat improves. Eye disorders may have several signs, so specific eye tests are needed to diagnose glaucoma in cats. Your vet will begin by discussing your cat's history and performing a physical examination. When examining the eyes, your vet may use a special lens to look at the structures in the eye for evidence of glaucoma. If glaucoma is suspected, your vet will want to check the eye up. This is done through a process called tenometry. A tenometer often looks like a pen-like contraption. It is placed just over the surface of the eye and measures the pressure inside the eye. If the eye up is consistently elevated and other signs of glaucoma are present, then your vet will likely diagnose glaucoma in your cat. In some cases, your veterinarian may refer you to a veterinary ophthalmologist for consultation. These eye experts have advanced knowledge and specialized equipment that enables them to diagnose your cat's glaucoma quickly and recommend the most effective treatments. Unfortunately, in most cases of feline glaucoma once vision is lost it can't be restored. In cats with primary glaucoma, vision loss occurs gradually over time, even with treatment. In cats who have secondary glaucoma, the prognosis depends on the underlying disease causing glaucoma as well as how the underlying disease and glaucoma respond to treatment. Hello. This video is sponsored by Beemix Pets. Are you looking for high quality cat collars at an affordable cost? Check out BeemixPets.com. Use coupon code KittenLife to get 20% off. Treatment for glaucoma in cats. Since glaucoma occurs when fluid is not draining from the eye fast enough, the logical treatment is to open up the drain. Unfortunately, opening the drain and keeping it open is difficult. Therefore, many glaucoma therapies are also aimed at decreasing fluid production by the eye. Medical therapy. There are several different types of expensive eye drops and pills that help decrease fluid production or increase fluid drainage from the eye. While these medications are helpful in animals, they usually do not control glaucoma in long term. Consequently, they are used mostly to help prevent or delay the onset of glaucoma and the remaining visual eye, and as a temporary treatment until surgery can be performed in the affected eye. Surgical therapy. The type of surgical procedures available for glaucoma depends on whether the eye still has the potential for vision. For visual eyes, intraocular pressure can be reduced by performing a cycloablation procedure in a drainage implant procedure. For permanently blind eyes, the eye can be enucleated, removed, with the options of placing a sterile prosthetic ball implant in the eye socket prior to skin closure, an implant placed inside the eye giving the pet a partially artificial eye, or an injection of a drug into the eye that kills the fluid producing cells and reduces the pressure. Preventing Glaucoma in Cats. There is no absolute way to prevent glaucoma from occurring in cats. Since primary glaucoma is hereditary, it's important not to breed cats with primary glaucoma. Secondary glaucoma may be preventative and eye condition is detected before it causes glaucoma. This is why routine veterinary examinations, every year or more, are so important. Your vet may be able to detect eye changes before glaucoma begins or in its earliest stages. Once glaucoma is diagnosed and medication is started, follow-up monitoring will be necessary. Initially, your veterinarian will recommend frequent follow-up examinations to ensure that your cat is responding adequately to the treatment or to make adjustments to the medications. The prognosis depends to a degree upon the underlying cause of glaucoma. In the long term, constant medical treatment will be required to keep the disease under control. With medical treatment only, most cats will ultimately go blind in the affected eye. If the underlying cause of the glaucoma was a lens luxation and the lens is surgically removed, then the prognosis is good. If the secondary glaucoma is caused by uveitis and the inflammation is controlled, then the prognosis is good as long as treatment is maintained. Watching a treasured cat go blind, either gradually or suddenly, can be a devastating experience. We tend to equate vision loss in cats with human blindness. However, we need to remember that cats are terrifically resilient. Cats don't need seeing eye dogs to find their way around, nor do they need to learn braille in order to communicate. They will use their enhanced senses of smell, hearing, and touch, whiskers and other vibrisae hairs on their feet and their face, to compensate for their vision loss. Casual visitors may not even be aware that your cat is blind. You can help a great deal by keeping your cat's normal routine as regular as possible. Its food dish, bed, litter box, and other necessities should be kept in their normal places. Try to avoid moving furniture, and keep other potential stumbling blocks out of your cat's way. You can warn your cat off your approach by speaking to it or clapping your hands. Your cat will also feel the vibrations of your footsteps on most floors. Most importantly, relax and enjoy your cat. Whether blind or seeing, its feelings for you haven't changed. 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