Pet Eye Disorders: Glaucoma
Animal Eye Consultants offers diagnosis and treatment options for pet eye disorders such as glaucoma. Glaucoma in pets is an eye health condition that causes an elevated pressure in the eye and can cause nerve damage and blindness.
Diagnosing Pet Glaucoma
The clinical signs of veterinary glaucoma can develop rapidly. Many owners do not realize that their pet is suffering from glaucoma until the condition has progressed to an advanced stage. However, subtle changes in the appearance of the eyes can provide an early warning that glaucoma is present.
Common signs of glaucoma are:
- Eye redness
- Eye cloudiness
- Abnormal ocular discharge
- Corneal cloudiness
- Third eyelid elevation
- Stumbling over or bumping into normal objects
- Behavioral changes associated with pain
- Lack of appetite
- Bulging eyes
- Large (dilated) pupils
- Pawing at or rubbing the eyes or face
- Aversion to being petted or touched on the face or around the eyes
- Squinting
Generally, glaucoma appears first in one eye, and a short time later appears in the other. Other early signs of glaucoma involve changes to the appearance of the pupil, which may be dilated (larger than usual) and may not contract quickly when exposed to light.
Treatment Options for Glaucoma
In most cases, glaucoma is initially treated with a combination of topical and oral prescription medications designed to decrease intraocular pressure. A number of prescription drugs are available to decrease the aqueous humor, the fluid inside of the eye, and therefore reduce intraocular pressure.
Glaucoma Surgery
As glaucoma progresses, it is likely a surgical solution will need to be implemented to preserve your pet’s vision. Surgical options include using laser therapy to reduce fluid production, prolong vision, and reduce pain.
Laser surgical techniques are successful in slowing the progression of the disease. However, eventually glaucoma will result in blindness. Enucleation is the surgical removal of the eye, and prosthetic implants are available for cosmetic purposes.
Early detection and treatment of glaucoma allows for the best treatment outcome. Please contact us to schedule an eye exam for your pet. We are available to discuss any concerns you may have regarding glaucoma or its treatment.