Both humans and cats can have glaucoma, an eye condition. It can result in blindness and produce an excruciating rise in intraocular pressure. Cats with this condition can typically maintain their vision and lead comfortable lives if they receive early veterinarian care, such as pressure-reducing eye medications.
What is cat glaucoma?
What is cat glaucoma?
A disorder known as glaucoma in cats, or feline glaucoma, is characterized by an accumulation of aqueous humor in the eye that prevents it from draining normally. In the event that this occurs, the optic nerve may eventually be compressed and harmed due to elevated intraocular pressure.
How frequent is feline glaucoma?
In cats, glaucoma is not very frequent. Although it's more common in some breeds (like Siamese and Burmese), it's still not very common, especially when compared to canine glaucoma. Moreover, elderly and middle-aged cats are more likely to have it.
What puts cats at risk for glaucoma?
There can be a few distinct causes of glaucoma in cats, depending on what sort of problem they have.
Glaucoma primary
Primary glaucoma is not common. Primary glaucoma is a hereditary disorder that is more common in some breeds than others, including Persian, Burmese, and Siamese. The condition typically begins in one eye but gradually affects the other eye as well.
Glaucoma secondary to
In cats, another type of glaucoma is more frequent than the original glaucoma. It develops as a result of an underlying illness that stops the fluid in the lens of the eye from draining normally. The following conditions can result in glaucoma:
Uveitis is a serious infection of the eyes that produces material that obstructs the drainage of the eyes.
Intraocular hemorrhage: it's the term used to describe internal eye bleeding.
Neoplasia: an atypical development of tissue that may develop into a malignant tumor
What symptoms might a cat have of glaucoma?
You should be aware of several telltale indicators if you think your cat may have glaucoma. The following are some physical signs of glaucoma in cats:
1: Seeming hazy or blue to the eye.
2: Erythema
3: Discharge from the eyes
4: Squinting
5: Dilated eyes
6: Prominent blood vessels across the cornea's white
7: Loss of eyesight
When one eye appears larger than the other, you may have a glaucoma emergency and should contact a veterinarian right away. Provide your veterinarian with all the information you can, including any other symptoms of an illness, like:
1: Loss of weight
2: Throwing up
3: Diarrhea
4: Modification of appetite
The disease glaucoma is excruciating. The following are a few behavioral indicators that the cat is in pain:
1: Your feline is hiding and not interested in playing.
2: Sleeping more frequently than normal
3: Unexpected feline hostility
Make sure to get in touch with your veterinarian right away if your cat exhibits any of these symptoms.
How does one diagnose glaucoma in cats?
It's critical to get in touch with your veterinarian right away if you suspect your cat may have glaucoma. Quick action could prevent more harm from being done to your cat's eye.
Your veterinarian will take your cat's intraocular pressure reading during the diagnostic visit. In cats, a normal pressure range is 15–25 mmHg. When the pressure is greater than it ought to be, your veterinarian might want to look into it more. Your cat most likely has glaucoma if their ocular pressure is elevated.
Is there a treatment for glaucoma in cats?
Cat glaucoma, however, is incurable. Vision loss from primary glaucoma is progressive but unavoidable. Whether the cat responds to therapy for initial glaucoma will determine whether they develop secondary glaucoma. Thankfully, glaucoma symptoms may frequently be properly managed with the right medication given by your veterinarian, assisting in the reduction of any vision loss.
How may cats with glaucoma be treated?
In the event that your veterinarian diagnoses your cat with glaucoma, eyedrops to lower intraocular pressure will probably be prescribed. Steroids may be added if inflammation was the cause of the glaucoma.
We hope this post was useful to you. Despite the frightening nature of a glaucoma diagnosis, many cats go on being the joyful friends you know and like. If you need advice regarding how to help your cat feel better while providing them with the care they require to lead a happy life, don't hesitate to get in touch with your veterinarian.
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