Feline Eye Problems

Feline Eye Problems
The most common eye problem in cats is conjunctivitis caused by a virus.

Feline calicivirus and feline herpesvirus are the two main culprits of viral conjunctivitis in cats.

This condition is very contagious and only a small percentage of cats completely eliminate the virus from their body. While the feline herpes virus can not be transmitted to humans, it is in the same family as chicken pox, shingles and in the same family of virus causing cold sores.

This means later on in life they can have recurrent episodes of eye inflammation and discharge along with sneezing. During this time they are contagious to other cats. It can be very frustrating in households where there are multiple cats. A secondary bacterial eye infection can also occur as a result of a moderate viral infection.

If your cat has been diagnosed with the feline herpes virus adding some lysine amino acids to her food will greatly prevent an outbreak, and reduce the severity of one.

Cats usually develop glaucoma if their eyes are chronically inflammed. So if your cat has trouble with eye infections, it's very important to get it cleared up.

Uveitis.

Uveitis is an inflammation of the middle layer of the eye. In 6 out of 10 cats the cause is unknown, but it can also be secondary to other more serious diseases.

It can have many clinical signs. Here is a list of common ones. Your cat may have one or more of these symptoms: squinting, sensitivity to light, third eyelid protrusion, tearing, redness to the white part of the eye, abnormal pupil shape or size, an altered iris color (usually a "muddy" or reddish color compared to the normal color), cloudiness, cataract, and/or enlarged eye if glaucoma is present. Blindness may be apparent, but this is often not noticeable, especially if the other eye is visual.

Any one of these symptoms is cause for an immediate vet visit.

Injury by Trauma

The cornea can be injured by trauma (something scratching the eye) or as a result of an untreated eye infection. If left untreated loss of the eye can result.

This is a very serious condition and a veterinarian should always examine the affected eye.

Corneal injuries can cause different symptoms. Usually the cat will be squinting the eye and the cornea will have a bluish tint to it. Sometimes there will be excessive tearing and conjunctivitis as well.