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Does your cat have progressive cloudiness in one or both eyes? Has the white of an eye stayed red? Has one or both eyes enlarged, perhaps to the point of bulging? Or does the cat keep squinting, with his eye teary? Get him to the doctor without delay. He might have glaucoma, and the sooner you catch it, the better the chance that you can help slow his loss of eyesight, as well as reduce pain. It’s not curable, but progressive vision loss can be delayed with medication.
Glaucoma develops when the fluid in the front part of the eye is unable to drain normally. The resulting accumulation of fluid exerts pressure within the entire eye, eventually causing permanent damage to the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain. Although you might see signs on your own, a veterinarian might check for glaucoma as part of a routine check-up, before the disease becomes obvious. It involves measuring the pressure within the eye with a device called a tonometer. The tonometer is gently applied to the surface of the eye, and if pressure is higher than normal, steps can be taken to confirm the diagnosis and treat the problem.
