When your furry friend’s vision becomes a problem
Glaucoma is a disease that dogs and cats can suffer from, and pet owners should know the signs and symptoms.
POLOKWANE – For many residents, dogs and cats are more than just pets: They are like children in the home, fur babies.
And as is the case with humans, our furry friends can get seriously ill too, suffering from diseases such as cancer, diabetes and epilepsy.
Glaucoma is one of the diseases that our pets can contract.
According to the Mayo Clinic (www.mayoclinic.org), glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve. The optic nerve sends visual information from the eye to the brain and is vital for good vision.
Damage to the optic nerve is often related to high pressure in the eye, but glaucoma can happen even with normal eye pressure.
Polokwane Observer spoke to an expert, about glaucoma in dogs and cats.
Cause of glaucoma:
“Just like in humans, glaucoma is when there is increased pressure within the eyeball. If this pressure remains high, it can damage the structures within the eye. This will lead to intense pain and blindness.”
This pressure increase is caused by an imbalance in the production and drainage of the normal eye fluid. This fluid is known as aqueous humor and in a healthy eye is produced and discharged at a constant rate, maintaining a normal, constant pressure in the eye. It also ensures the eye will keep its normal, round shape.
“If the outflow of this fluid is obstructed, excessive fluid accumulates and glaucoma results.”
Symptoms:
According to Pauw symptoms include:
• Redness in the white part of the eye or bloodshot eyes.
• A dilated pupil,
• A cloudy appearance of the cornea (clear part of the front of the eye) or
• signs of pain such as squinting or a dislike of being touched in the face.
“Glaucoma is classified as primary and secondary, depending on the cause. Primary glaucoma can occur without any precipitating disease or injury. Some forms of this type of glaucoma are inherited genetically in some breeds. The symptoms occur between three and 12 years old with an average at eight years.”
Secondary glaucoma is not genetically linked but caused by an injury to the eye such as inflammation, dislocation of the lens (an internal structure within the eye that sends the light rays onto the back of the eye to produce the images you see), blunt trauma or even cancer in the eye.
“To tell if it is primary or secondary, and to find the underlying cause of the secondary glaucoma, ocular tests should be done. In breeds that are genetically predisposed to glaucoma, the disease will usually first develop in one eye and within a year after the first eye, it will happen in the other eye. ”
Glaucoma often requires lifelong treatment
Treatment includes a combination of medicine and visits to the veterinary help temporarily, but are not always effective. Pets that have recurrent or uncontrollable glaucoma often need eye surgery to relieve the chronic pain they experience.
Treatment is aimed at normalising the amount of fluid in the eye. This is being done by increasing the outflow or increasing the inflow of the aqueous humor. The ultimate goal is to treat the underlying cause of the glaucoma
“Blindness in one or both eyes is a serious and common complication of glaucoma. Owners need to know many pets can have a normal quality life with vision loss in one or even both eyes. Dogs and cats rely on other senses such as smell more than we as humans do. They adapt much easier than humans would to a loss of sight.”
General signs of illness include lethargy, vomiting, decreased weight and appetite changes, weakness and change in their behaviour. Seek veterinary treatment if your pet has an injury to the eye.
Inform the vet about your pet’s medical history. Give the medicine as prescribed.
