Glaucoma in Cats

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en-gb" lang="en-gb" xmlns:fb="http://ogp.me/ns/fb#"> <head> <base href="https://www.cathealth.com/cat-health/vision/2624-glaucoma-in-cats" /> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /> <meta name="keywords" content="glaucoma in cats, high eye pressure in cats, causes of blindness in cats, why is my cat's eye red, why is my cat's eye bulging" /> <meta name="author" content="Katie Schlossin" /> <meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow" /> <meta name="description" content="Learn about glaucoma, or increased eye pressure in cats, including its symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment." /> <meta name="generator" content="Joomla! - Open Source Content Management" /> <title>Glaucoma in Cats</title> <link href="/templates/cathealthj3/favicon.ico" rel="shortcut icon" type="image/vnd.microsoft.icon" /> <style type="text/css"> .fb_iframe_widget {max-width: none;} .fb_iframe_widget_lift {max-width: none;} @media print { .css_buttons0,.css_buttons1,.css_fb_like,.css_fb_share,.css_fb_send,css_fb_photo,.css_twitter,.css_google,.css_google_share,.css_linkedin,.css_pinterest,.css_fb_comments,.css_fb_comments_count { display:none }} </style> <script src="//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.0" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" /> <meta property="og:image" content="https://www.cathealth.com/images/glaucoma_in_cats.jpg" /> <meta property="og:image:width" content="860" /> <meta property="og:image:height" content="574" /> <meta property="og:image:type" content="image/jpeg" /> <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://www.cathealth.com/images/glaucoma_in_cats.jpg" /> <meta property="og:title" content="Glaucoma in Cats" /> <meta name="twitter:title" content="Glaucoma in Cats" /> <meta property="og:description" content="Learn about glaucoma, or increased eye pressure in cats, including its symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment." /> <meta name="twitter:description" content="Learn about glaucoma, or increased eye pressure in cats, including its symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment." /> <meta name="twitter:site" content="@cathealth" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/templates/cathealthj3/css/styles.css" type="text/css" /> </head> <body class="contentpane"><div id='fb-root'></div> <div id="system-message-container"> </div> <div class="item-page ch_item_page"> <h1 class="item-page-title ch_page_title_h1"><a href="/cat-health/vision/2624-glaucoma-in-cats">Glaucoma in Cats</a></h1> <ul class="button-icons"> <li class="print-icon"> <a href="#" onclick="window.print();return false;"> <img src="/templates/cathealthj3/images/system/printButton.png" alt="Print" /> </a> </li> </ul> <img class="mainimageleft" src="/images/glaucoma_in_cats.jpg" width="480" height="320" alt="Glaucoma is an emergency." title="Glaucoma causes blindness in cats." />  <p>Glaucoma is an eye condition in cats that can be very serious. In fact, glaucoma is an emergency that needs treatment right away or the cat may lose sight in that eye.</p> <h2>What Is Glaucoma in Cats?</h2> <p>Glaucoma occurs when the pressure inside the eye is too high. IOP is intraocular pressure, and during glaucoma, that pressure is increased.</p> <p>IOP can be measured by a veterinarian using a tonometer. There are several types of tonometers, but each of them lets the veterinarian know what the pressure is inside the eye. If it is high, the cat is diagnosed with glaucoma.</p> <p>When IOP is too high, it damages the delicate structures inside the eye, including the retina and optic nerve, and decreases vision.</p> <img class="articleimage" src="/images/ch_cat_eye_anatomy.jpg" width="350" height="340" alt="Normal Feline Eye Structures" title="Normal Feline Eye Structures" /> <h2>What Causes Glaucoma in Cats?</h2> <p>The eye is filled with liquid called aqueous humor. Aqueous humor contains nutrients that keep the inner components of the eye healthy. It also delivers oxygen to those structures.</p> <p>Within the eye, the ciliary body produces aqueous humor and also controls the lens. The fluid is produced continuously and flows through the eye, with extra draining from the area between the cornea and iris. This area is known as the drainage angle.</p> <p>Glaucoma happens when fluid doesn't drain properly out of the eye, builds up, and causes abnormally high pressure inside the eye. There are two main types of glaucoma: primary and secondary.</p> <ul> <li><b>Primary glaucoma</b> is when there is a structural problem with the eye that causes the drainage angle to be too narrow. Primary glaucoma is fairly rare in cats, but Siamese and Burmese breeds may be genetically predisposed to it. Usually, primary glaucoma is present in both eyes.</li> <li><b>Secondary glaucoma</b> is when another problem causes the drainage angle to decrease. It may be present in one or both eyes. Some of the most common conditions that cause secondary glaucoma in cats are:</li> <div class="moduletable"> <div class="custom" > <div class="embedded-video" style="width: 454px; margin: 4px 4px 10px 10px;"> <div class="wrap_embedded_vid"> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D1FrFzUQ-5k" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div> </div> </div> </div> <ul> <li><b>Uveitis</b>, which is inflammation inside the eye. This is the most common cause of glaucoma in cats and is due to proteins and other byproducts of the inflammatory condition blocking the drainage angle. Uveitis in cats is commonly caused by infection with <b><a href="/cat-health/parasites-health/2465-toxoplasmosis-in-cats">toxoplasmosis</a></b>, <b><a href="/cat-health/infectious-diseases/1296-feline-infectious-peritonitis">FIP</a></b>, <b><a href="/cat-health/infectious-diseases/1295-feline-immunodeficiency-virus">FIV</a></b>, or <b><a href="/cat-health/infectious-diseases/1202-cat-feline-leukemia-virus">FeLV</a></b>.</li> <li><b>Severe eye infection</b>, like that caused by herpesvirus in cats. The inflammation from the eye infection can cause scar tissue inside the eye.</li> <li><b>An ocular tumor</b>.</li> <li><b>Bleeding inside the eye</b>, which can be from a clotting disorder or another condition.</li> <li><b>Trauma that affects the eye</b>.</p> </ul> </li> </ul> <h2>Signs of Glaucoma in Cats</h2> <p>Because glaucoma can cause blindness quickly, it's crucial that cat owners know what to look for that may indicate their cat has high IOP. If you see any of these signs in your cat, get to a vet right away.</p> <img class="articleimage" src="/images/blue_tint_to_cat_cornea.jpg" width="350" height="233" alt="Some cats with glaucoma develop a blue tint to the cornea." title="Some cats with glaucoma have a blue cornea." /> <ul> <li>Pain, which may manifest as not moving around, hiding, rubbing at the eye, clinginess, or not eating.</li> <li>Bulging eye.</li> <li>Squinting and watering of the eye.</li> <li>Blue tint to the cornea.</li> <li>Redness in the whites of the eyes.</li> <li>Pupil may be dilated.</li> </ul> <div class="rightad cright"> <div class="moduletable internal_banner2 embbnr"> <div class="bannergroup internal_banner2 embbnr"> <div class="banneritem"> <a href="/component/banners/click/67" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" title="Charlie Favorite"> <img src="https://www.cathealth.com/images/banners/charlie_favorite_ppstd_300x250.jpg" alt="Charlie Loves his Purrfect Post" width="300" height="250" /> </a> <div class="clr"></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p>Unfortunately, by the time these signs are noticed, damage has often already been done inside the eye, and some vision loss may have occurred. Some vision may be able to be saved with quick, aggressive treatment, depending on the course of the condition.</p> <h2>Treatment of Glaucoma in Cats</h2> <p>The treatment of glaucoma is aimed at maintaining eye pressure as close to normal as possible. If your veterinarian diagnoses glaucoma, he or she may recommend a referral to a veterinary ophthalmologist for further testing to get at the root of the problem. In the meantime, eye drops may be prescribed. Those are generally aimed at fighting inflammation and pain. In some cases, glaucoma in cats requires enucleation, or removal of the affected eye.</p> <p><b><i>Glaucoma in cats is an emergency. There may be only a short time to save some eyesight.</i></b></p> <p>To learn more about other eye conditions in cats, check out this article and the links inside it: "<b><a href="/cat-health/vision/2623-eye-problems-in-cats-an-overview">Eye Problems in Cats: An Overview</a></b>."</p> <div class="moduletable_chbanner cnone tcenter"> <div class="bannergroup_chbanner cnone tcenter"> <div class="banneritem"> <a href="/component/banners/click/13" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" title="Dog Health For the love of your dog"> <img src="https://www.cathealth.com/images/banners/dog_health_for_the_love_of_your_dog.jpg" alt="Dog Health For the love of your dog" /> </a> <div class="clr"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="moduletable ymal_ad"> <div class="bannergroup ymal_ad"> <div class="banneritem"> <a href="/component/banners/click/80" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" title="CH PP More Exciting Things"> <img src="https://www.cathealth.com/images/banners/ch_pp_more_exciting_360x300.jpg" alt="There are more exciting things to scratch than your couch" width="360" height="300" /> </a> <div class="clr"></div> </div> </div> </div> <p><b>You May Also Like These Articles:</b></p> <p><a href="/cat-health/vision/2623-eye-problems-in-cats-an-overview">Eye Problems in Cats: An Overview</a></p> <p><a href="/cat-health/vision/2472-eye-infections-in-young-kittens">Eye Infections in Young Kittens</a></p> <p><a href="/cat-health/vision/1203-cat-night-vision">Night Vision in Cats</a></p> <p><a href="/grooming/eyes-and-ears/2145-eye-cleaning">Eye Cleaning</a></p> <p><a href="/grooming/eyes-and-ears/2148-medicating-eyes">Medicating Eyes</a></p> <div class="moduletable"> <div class="custom" > <div class="disclaimer" style="border-top: 1px dashed #CCC; padding-top: 10px; margin-top: 10px; clear: both;">Disclaimer: This website is not intended to replace professional consultation, diagnosis, or treatment by a licensed veterinarian. <u>If you require any veterinary related advice, contact your veterinarian promptly.</u> Information at CatHealth.com is exclusively of a general reference nature. <u>Do not disregard veterinary advice or delay treatment as a result of accessing information at this site.</u> Just Answer is an external service not affiliated with CatHealth.com. </div></div> </div> </div> </body> </html>

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Glaucoma in Cats