Cat Health Eyes
"Cat health eyes is maintained by feeling your cat a healthy diet, providing exercise and fresh drinking water. Common causes of cat eye problems include scratches, objects getting in the eye and infection."
Cat Health Eyes - General Care
Eye health is a part of your cat's overall health and wellness. This means fundamentals such as exercise, diet and fresh drinking water are 3 important ways to help your cat maintain a strong immune system.
Common cat eye injuries include scratching on the cornea from other cats. Ulcers can develop in the areas of the scratches. Other conditions such as those that cause pink eye (conjunctivitis) should receive immediate treatment.
Foreign objects can get in the eye such as grass seeds or eyelashes.
Conjunctivitis is a general term for eye inflammation. A mild case is indicative of allergy, an object in the eye or from just being in the wind. Very red watery eyes, eyes with mucus and signs of pain indicate a problem such as Bacterial Cat Eye Infection, Viral Cat Eye Infection and Feline Glaucoma.
Cat Health Eyes - Physical Examination
Assessment of eye health involves an examination by your veterinarian or veterinary ophthalmologist.
Your veterinarian will go through the following steps during a cat eye exam:
* How your cat enters the examination room since visual impairment will cause your cat to enter rooms ways that are outside the norm.
* Physical Exam to see if their are any illnesses that may have a negative impact on the eyes. This is called having a secondary eye infection since the primary cause is something outside of the eye.
* Review of how the eyes open and close including blinking.
* Determination if your cat is in pain.
* Does your cat react to light?
* Size and position of eyes.
* Are the eyes bulging out of the face? (exophthalmus)?
* Are the eyes larger than they should be? (buphthalmos)
* Are the eyes of normal size and position?
* Are the two pupils of the eye the same size?
* Are the eyelids normal?
* Do the eyes look they turn in (entropion) or out (ectropion)?
* Do the eyelids look like they are falling down or elevated?
* Is their any discharge coming from the eye? Is it watery or looks like puss or mucus?
* Your veterinarian will press around the eye looking for swelled areas or bone issues.
Cat Health Eyes - Vision Test
Your cat's vision can be tested several ways:
Menace Response: A sudden threatening movement should cause your cat to at least blink. This response is tested in one eye and then the other.
Obstacle Course: Put your cat through an obstacle course. Your cat will be tested with the lights on and dimmed to see if it can maneuver its way through.
Table Test: If you carry your cat toward a table, he or she should extent its legs in anticipation of being placed on the surface.
Darkness Examination: A cat's pupils dialate in the dark. This is alternated with a bright light to see if the eye reacts correctly.
Magnification Test: In this test the surface of the eye and the inside front of the eye (anterior) is examined with a magnifying glass. Your veterinarian will also check to see if an eyelash has gotten into the eye causing irritation or red eye.
Ophthalmoscopy of the back of the eye: A special "scope" is used to examine the back of the eye.
Cat Health Eye - Tests
Tear Test (Schirmer): Tear production at below normal levels are indicative of eye problems such as keratoconjunctivitis sicca or dry eye. Fluorescein staining: this test indicates if their are ulcers in the cornea or if scratches in the eye are turning into ulcers. The test works by using a bright orange substance that is placed in your cat's eye and will look fluorescent bright green in areas where the cornea has been damaged.
Lab Tests: Samples from the eye are tested for the presence of bacteria or cancer.
Ultrasound: This device is used to take and review images of the eye.
Glaucoma Test: Test blood pressure within the eye (called Tonometry test).
Natural Medicine to Support Cat Health Eyes
If your cat continually suffers from red eyes, even when under the care of a veterinarian, you might want to discuss natural rememdies. Several natural herbs have properties which are known to effectively help to support general eye and visual health in cats. These ingredients include:
* Arctium lappa (Burdock) is a cleansing and eliminating herb and is excellent at detoxifying the tissues and removing unwanted substances from the body. Burdock also supports the functioning of the immune system and is very useful for eye health.
* Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) is well-known as a tonic and can be used to cleanse and soothe the eyes.
* Chelidonium majus is used to support the immune system and is also known to support good vision And soothe the eyes.
* Filipendula ulmaria (Meadowsweet) has a long history of herbal use and was highly prized by ancient Druids for its medicinal properties. Meadowsweet is excellent for soothing the eyes and conjunctiva.
One option to research is PetAlive Eye-Heal which is made specifically for the natural treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis in feline eyes. Discuss this option with your veterinarian so that they can track progress.
Ron Ofri, DVM, PhD, DECVO
Koret School of Veterinary Medicine
Hebrew University of Jerusalem