Cats are distinguished by their ability to see in the dark. This is not surprising, because mustachioed pets are predators by nature. Unfortunately, these domestic animals often have ocular pathologies. Certain eye diseases in cats lead to partial loss of vision or blindness. If you do not sound the alarm in time and do not contact the veterinarian, the animal may lose the opportunity to see. One of the main symptoms of this condition is the cloudy eyes of a cat. Below we will analyze the causes of this phenomenon, as well as identify possible methods of treatment.
Relevance of the problem
If the cat's eyes are blurred, then from the side it seems like he is blind. In fact, this is not always the case. To understand the real cause of this phenomenon in a pet, you need to contact a veterinary clinic.
The fact is that a cat's cloudy eye may be due to various diseases: keratitis, cataracts, uveitis, glaucoma. Understand what exactly a particular pet can only in laboratory conditions using special equipment.
Causes of the disease
The main reasons for clouding the organ of vision in a cat include:
- Ocular corneal diseases. It loses its shine, becomes whitish, a bluish tint appears.
- Lens diseases. Such pathologies are characterized by clouding of the pupil, the cornea remains transparent and is not affected. When the light is directed at the organ of vision, the turbidity narrows. This confirms that the reason lies precisely in the pupil.
Below we consider the origin of the loss of transparency of the eye in an animal in more detail.
Causes of a cat's cloudy eyes
Clouding of the ocular cornea indicates its disease. There are three possible causes that created problems with the cornea:
- The accumulation in it of excessive pus, fluid, calcium or cholesterol.
- The appearance of an eyesore (scars from connective tissue).
- Pathological germination of blood vessels.
Keratitis
With this disease, vision always gets worse, sometimes completely lost. The disease appears due to toxic liver damage. Most often this happens with intoxications and poisoning, with acute infectious pathologies of the organs of vision caused by pathogenic microorganisms, fungi, viruses, or with neurogenic diseases.
To stop the cat’s loss of vision, urgent help from a veterinarian is needed.
Symptoms
The first sign of keratitis is the cloudy red eye of a cat. Initially, redness and secretion of purulent or serous fluid appear. Then the cornea loses its transparency, the eye becomes cloudy, ulcers or tissue necrosis appear.
Accurate diagnosis is needed to select the appropriate treatment. It is carried out using a special fluorescent liquid composition. After that, corneal lesions become visible in the light . This type of diagnosis is carried out only in a veterinary clinic.
Keratitis Treatment
Home treatment is strictly contraindicated. Keratitis is a polyetiological disease, without establishing the exact cause, self-treatment can be harmful.
After diagnosis and diagnosis, the specialist prescribes treatment aimed at eliminating the consequences of the revealed eye pathology and maintaining the cat's immunity.
Antiseptic drugs for washing the organ of vision, as well as antiviral and antibacterial ointments and drops, are prescribed. In addition, you should pay attention to the diet of the pet. It must be complete and contain a sufficient amount of trace elements and vitamins.
Glaucoma
This eye disease in animals develops against the background of increased intraocular pressure. During an acute attack of pathology, the cornea ceases to be transparent, and a cat has a cloudy eye symptom.
Atrophy of the optic nerve can cause complete loss of vision by the pet within two to four days. Therefore, the cat needs emergency veterinary care.
Symptoms
Signs of an acute attack of glaucoma include:
- pain when touching the eye;
- fear of light;
- corneal edema;
- increased intraocular pressure.
Therapy
The cat has a cloudy eye, what should I do? An acute attack of glaucoma requires an urgent decrease in pressure within the organ of vision. To do this, contact your veterinarian. He will carry out all the necessary manipulations, while observing the condition of the animal.
Further therapy consists in the use of drugs that reduce eye pressure, drugs that help normalize the condition of the animal and diuretics.
Corneal ulcers and erosion
These diseases of the cornea differ in different depths and can occur with chemical, thermal and mechanical injuries, as well as with chlamydia, glaucoma, inflammatory pathologies of the eye and other diseases. Distinctive features of this disease are:
- redness of the cornea of the organ of vision;
- fear of light;
- blurred eyes.
The owner in this situation may notice that the cat's one eye became cloudy, and the other in perfect order.
Treatment
Therapy is to exclude the underlying cause of the defect and symptomatic local treatment. A comprehensive course includes root protectors, antibacterial and immunostimulating drugs.
This disease appears due to the development of some generalized process in the cat’s eye. It can be glaucoma, cataract, keratitis. More often, the pathology affects only one eye.
Why does the cat have a cloudy eye
In the cornea of the organ, metabolic processes are disturbed, and this, in turn, leads to the deposition of calcium, cholesterol or amyloid cells in it. Due to these processes, the eye becomes cloudy and loses its normal structure. For therapy, special medications and surgical methods are used.
Corneal scar
This defect causes clouding of the cornea after burns, injuries or ulcers. There are several types of disease:
- Peripheral cataract, it does not have a significant harmful effect on vision, as it is located away from the pupil.
- A total thorn covers the cornea and pupil. With this pathology, vision is significantly reduced.
- Central thorn. Located on the pupil itself. May cover it in whole or in part. Vision becomes limited.
The disease is characterized by a cloudy spot on the cat’s eye. For treatment, special ointments and drops are used, which only a veterinarian can prescribe.
Causes of clouding and damage to the lens
The pupil of the eye itself does not lose transparency, since it is a hole in the iris. The transparent biolins of the organ of vision, which is called the lens, becomes cloudy. She is behind the pupil.
The main cause of turbidity is considered cataract. This pathology manifests itself for several reasons:
- changes in metabolism associated with the age of the animal (old individuals);
- endocrine diseases - lipid metabolism disorder, diabetes mellitus;
- pupil injury;
- infectious pathologies in a pregnant individual can cause pathology of the lens of the eye in a kitten;
- individual cat breeds have a genetic predisposition to this disease: Persians, Burmese, Siamese.
Treatment of cataracts with medications can only temporarily slow down the development of the disease.
Therapy
A radical treatment for lens opacity is to replace it with surgery. If radical treatment is not done on time, the process will develop further with serious complications:
- uveitis - inflammation of the choroid, often leads to blindness;
- secondary glaucoma with optic atrophy and loss of vision;
- panophthalmitis - the exit of the masses of the lens into the chambers of the eye, the appearance of inflammation, pus: all this leads to the death of the eye.
It becomes clear that if the cat's eye is covered with a cloudy film, this can lead to partial loss of vision or complete blindness. The restoration of the function of the organ of vision depends on how quickly the owner of the animal turned to the veterinarian. In addition, the correct diagnosis and quality treatment are important. Positive results most often appear in those cases when the pathology was discovered at an early stage of development.
Prevention
In order to prevent clouding of the eyes of a cat, several easy rules for keeping a pet should be observed:
- timely vaccinate the animal against infectious pathologies;
- timely undergo examinations by a specialist;
- consult a doctor immediately after identifying unpleasant eye pathologies.
It should be borne in mind that if the cat already has inflammation of the organs of vision, it is necessary to establish close monitoring of the animal. Inspect the pet at least twice a day. If there is a sharp inflammation, redness, as well as clouding of the cornea, you should immediately go to the veterinarian. In order for the condition not to worsen, all stress factors for the animal should be minimized. Since it is precisely they that can provoke a worsening of the condition of the animal. The owner must also take into account the fact that from the room where the sick cat is located, it is necessary to remove the interior items that he might hit and suffer.
It should also be understood that any pathology of the eyes can lead to loss of vision in a cat, so you should not leave unattended even the most harmless inflammation of the mucosa.
In addition, the owner must provide the sick animal with complete rest and, if possible, include products with a high concentration of tocopherol and retinol in the cat's diet. These vitamins have a positive effect on damaged epithelial layers of the cornea and restore organs of vision.
Conclusion
Having seen a blurred eye in your pet, you should not engage in self-treatment. Also, do not wait for the pathology to resolve itself. In such a situation, you must urgently consult a doctor. The faster the owner does this, the more likely the cat will have vision.