Common Cat Eye Diseases and Essential Care Tips

Eye diseases in cats can not only cause pain and discomfort, but they can also lead to lifethreatening conditions.

Cat Eye Anatomy

The anatomy of a cat's eyes, image sourced from the internet.

Symptoms and Causes

Conjunctivitis

The conjunctiva is a vascular mucous membrane rich in blood vessels. When infected, it becomes inflamed and swollen. You can easily see the red, swollen conjunctiva by gently pulling back the eyelid, which is known as conjunctivitis.

The main causes of conjunctivitis include upper respiratory infections, bacterial infections, allergies, foreign objects, and trauma.

When a cat develops conjunctivitis, it may exhibit symptoms such as excessive tearing, aversion to light, and scratching. If not treated promptly, it can lead to more severe conditions like conjunctival edema and keratitis.

Keratitis

The cornea is a transparent tissue. When it becomes inflamed, it may appear slightly hazy.

Like conjunctivitis, keratitis has similar symptoms, and if left untreated, it can lead to a series of more severe diseases. It is essential to seek medical attention promptly.

Keratitis Ulcer

A normal cornea is smooth and flat. If a cat's cornea develops an uneven indentation, it may be a sign of keratitis ulcer.

The main causes of keratitis ulcer include trauma, infection, decreased tear production, eyelid inversion, foreign body irritation, and chemical injury.

When a cat has keratitis ulcer, it may show symptoms such as excessive tearing, aversion to light, and scratching. In more severe cases, it can lead to corneal edema, conjunctival congestion, and even corneal perforation.

Epiphora

The tears secreted by the lacrimal glands are distributed over the cornea by the eyelids, preventing the drying and necrosis of corneal cells. Therefore, tears are continuously produced and drain through the nasolacrimal duct and nose. When there is excessive tear production or a blocked nasolacrimal duct, tears overflow from the inner corner of the eye, which is known as epiphora.

When epiphora occurs, it can cause the fur to remain wet for a long time, leading to inflammation.

Glaucoma

Under normal circumstances, the eye is filled with aqueous humor, which is constantly renewed. When aqueous humor cannot drain out of the eye smoothly, the pressure inside the eye increases, causing glaucoma.

Common causes of glaucoma may be primary or secondary to other eye diseases, with poor development of the anterior chamber angle being the main cause.

Acute glaucoma can cause severe eye pain in cats, leading to crying and loss of appetite.

Chronic glaucoma does not cause much pain, but it may have some symptoms similar to acute glaucoma, albeit less severe. It should not be ignored.

Cataracts

Cataracts are defined as "any nonphysiological opacification of the lens fibers or lens capsule, regardless of its cause." Simply put, if you notice that your cat's pupil no longer appears black, it may have cataracts.

There are many factors that can cause cataracts, including congenital, hereditary, toxins, radiation, trauma, and other eye diseases.

Eye Care Routine

Many eye diseases in cats are not sudden, and neglect in daily care is also an important factor. Parents should pay more attention to their cat's eye hygiene to prevent severe illnesses.

The brownish secretions commonly found in a cat's eye corners are actually eye boogers. Sometimes, cats cannot clean them up, and parents need to help. You can use a cotton swab or cotton ball soaked in water to gently wipe them away, but cotton swabs have significant safety risks, and makeup remover pads can be used instead.

Here are the general steps for cleaning:

Soak the cotton or makeup remover pad in physiological saline (clean water).

Gently lift the cat's head and stroke its face and surroundings to relax the cat.

Wipe the eyelids from top to bottom along the edge of the eyes. If there are dry, hard secretions, do not pull them off forcefully. Instead, use a wet cotton pad (makeup remover pad) to soften the secretions first, then gently wipe them away.

If there is clear secretions in the corner of the eye, you can use artificial tears to flush out the secretions.

After cleaning, use a wet cotton pad (makeup remover pad) to wipe away any excess tears.

Essential Items

Physiological Saline: Used for daily care, available at pharmacies. Pay attention to whether there are any foreign objects in the physiological saline.

Cotton Balls: Used for daily care, available at pharmacies.

Nonsteroidal Antibiotic Eye Drops: Can be used for cats with eye discomfort at night, available at pharmacies or clinics.

Collar: Can be used to prevent cats from scratching and causing secondary injury or infection. Available at pet stores.

When providing emergency eye care for cats, you can drop eye drops every 4 hours and place the cat in a dark place to avoid light stimulation. Then, take the cat to the hospital as soon as the clinic opens.

We hope that all parents will take their cats seriously and wish for all cats to grow up healthily.