Cat Illness - Cat Eye Cataracts Can Leads To Blindness

The eye is constructed as a sphere in two compartments, with the pupil and lens and their supporting structures forming the dividing wall. The small anterior (front) chamber is filled with aqueous fluid and lies between the cornea (the covering of the front of the eye) and the pupil, and the larger posterior (back) chamber is filled with a gelatinous fluid which sits between the pupil and the retina at the back of the eye.

The pupil is a flat circle of muscle around the lens and contracts and expands to regulate the amount of light entering through the lens onto the retina, while the lens itself is a highly elastic crystalline structure controlled by muscles which alter the shape so as to achieve correct focus. Unlike the round shape as in humans, in the cat the iris is an ovoid aperture which allows for full contraction to an almost perfect circle and a vertical slit to let in as little light as possible.

A cataract is a clouding of the lens or its surrounding covering of tissue so that vision is blurred. The lens first starts to look grey and as it progresses takes on a milky, opaque appearance. This needs to be differentiated from the cataracts which occur with old age and which are a natural phenomenon of the ageing process, and veterinary advice is essential in distinguishing the two and determining the cause and recommended treatment.

A cataract in cat terms can be caused by a number of factors. Non age-related causes are thankfully relatively rare - the three main ones are thought to be uveitis (damage cause to the iris and connected tissues by either trauma, bacterial / fungal infection or parasites), malnutrition and trauma, and if diagnosed early can be treated in a couple of different ways. Interestingly, although diabetes can cause cataracts in the human being, it is not thought to affect felines.

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Cataracts that are left to develop will eventually lead to blindness, and although blind cats can be happy in your home as long as they are well protected and cared for, and kept inside as much as possible to avoid being terrorised by neighbourhood cats, it is kinder to see what options are available for treatment.

The traditional treatment has always been surgical removal with insertion of a replacement manmade lens. This can return sight to the animal although focusing may not be as clear as before. For some cats, especially if they are elderly and not in good health, surgery may not be advised as it may put too much stress on the animal in terms of surgical shock and disruption.

Homeopathic remedies for cataracts are becoming more widespread and popular as an alternative to invasive surgery, and there are products which claim to be able to clear the lens so that an animal can see again or at least experience some relief of the symptoms. However, it is stressed again that you should take your cat for expert opinion and diagnosis and you should not attempt to treat this condition without adequate discussion. Your veterinary surgeon should always be your first port of call.

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