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Cats can suffer from eye ailments at any age, but as they get older their eyes begin to be more susceptible to vision impairments. It is important that you help prevent your cat from having eye infections, and use proper eye care treatments when your cats eyes do become infected. Feline eye problems can be very disabling for your cat, you should do all you can as a pet owner to prevent your cat from suffering from common eye disorders.

Common eye and vision conditions in cats

Conjunctivitis: The soft pink tissue around your cats eyes will be very red. There will also be a yellow/green colored discharge from the eye.

Blocked tear ducks: This is a cat eye problem which commonly affects long haired breeds. The eyes of cats with this condition should be cleaned with a damp cloth on a daily basis. Although this is not a serious eye cat problem, if left unattended the eyes can become so blocked that a vet will have to flush them clean, this will be done under anaesthetic.

More serious cat eye ailments

Progressive retinal atrophy: The retina of the cats eye will degenerate over a period of time, leading to blindness. This condition can't be treated.

Glaucoma: This cat eye ailment is caused when too much fluid build up within the eye causing pressure on the retina. This condition causes the cat a lot of pain, and will lead to blindness.

Cataracts: This normally affect older cats, the eyes will begin to cloud over. It can be treated with surgery, but if left unattended the cat will eventually lose it's sight.

Tumors: Eye tumors can also be a problem for felines. These can be surgically removed, the whole eye may have to be removed depending on the severity of the tumor.

Signs, symptoms and treatment of cat eye ailments

You should look for signs of cloudiness in the eyes, redness around the eye area, and pay particular attention to any discharge from the cats eyes. You should take your cat to a vet as soon as you see anything that doesn't look normal in the eyes. The sooner the cat is taken to the vet, the sooner your cat can be treated for any feline cat ailment.

Lab test will be done to determine if the cat has a particular type of eye disease. Depending on the diagnosis, treatment will be given accordingly. However, some feline eye conditions can't be treated. Treatments may include pain medication, steroids, eye drops, surgery, and in some cases a vaccine is available to prevent certain types of cat eye diseases.

Keeping cats eyes healthy

The most important point is to inspect your cats eyes daily, and be sure that they are kept as clean as possible. Talk to a vet before using any treatment on your cat, if you use flea treatment, be sure your cats eyes are protected during the process. Make sure long haired cats don't have hair in, or around the eye area as this can cause irritation to the eyes. Your cats eyes should look moist and clear, if you see that they don't look like this, you should take the cat to a vet.

Learn more about this author, Pauline Abreu.
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