by Karoline Inong

Created on: November 24, 2009

Cherry eye is pretty uncommon in cats but when it does occur in a cat, they need to be brought straight to a veterinarian as soon as possible. Cherry eye however, isn't considered a disease but more like a condition in where the cat's third eyelid sticks out and appears to be pink or red in color. Basically what happens when a cat gets this condition is that the third eyelid that is located inside the lower eyelid has prolapsed or turned inside out. In normal conditions, you cannot see the third eyelid because it is tucked under th bottom of the eyelid. This third eyelid does not only protects the cat's eyes from damage but also aids in the production of tears. Again once you notice that your cat has cherry eye, make sure to get them to a veterinarian asap because the longer the tissue is exposed the more likely it is to cause an infection to the eye. There is also a risk of an ulcer developing on the cat's eyeball due to the cat itself wanting to scratch it's eye.

The most common cause of cherry eye in cats is a weakness of the ligamentous attachment of the gland of the third eyelid. This weakness may be a heritable condition but the inheritance pattern is unknown. Burmese breed cats are more susceptible or prone to cherry eye. The prolapse of the gland may also develop secondary due to an inflammation. There are also cases of cherry eye where there is an unknown cause.

Some signs to look for if your cat has developed the condition cherry eye is an oval pink or red mass sticking out from the corner of the eye closest to the nose, watery or thick discharge from the eye, and/or redness to the conjunctiva or the lining of the eyelid.To find out if your cat indeed has cherry eye, again you have to go to a veterinarian. There they will do a complete visual eye examination consisting of a measurement of tear production, fluorescein staining of the cornea and of course the examination of the opposite eye.

As for treatment of cherry eye, typically they use topical anti-inflammatory corticosteroid medications to decrease the inflammation of the conjunctiva and the prolapsed gland. However, this treatment rarely results in the return of the gland to a normal position and therefore, surgical replacement of the gland is the recommended treatment. The gland can be completely removed but this makes the cat prone to a life of dry eye. This is because the gland of the third eyelid is responsible for the production of around 35% of the watery tears, thus removal of this gland may result in greatly declined tear production otherwise known as dry eye. Following surgery, an Elizabethan collar may be used on a cat to prevent any self-induced trauma.

Again if you notice your cat has any of the symptoms of cherry eye, you must bring them to a veterinarian asap. Once determined and treated by your veterinarian, you may have a checkup visit to make sure that the surgery replacement of the gland hasn't move. If it's moved it means that the condition can arise again. If it hasn't moved then the condition has a better chance of not repeating itself.

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