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Pet Article
CATARACTS AND OUR PETS
Cataracts in our cats and dogs is no longer considered to be the "end of the line" where vision
is concerned for them. Todays treatment available for humans is also available to our cats
and dogs, so should you have a guide dog, working dog or just a dog which like to play catch,
that has cataracts, surgery is available where sight could be restored.
For pet owners who may have a cat or dog with cataracts and are considering surgery, should
understand that it is possible for our pets to live a normal live without necessarily
having their vision. Most pets that lose their vision can adapt quite well and are able to
memorize layouts of the house they live in, the back yard and other familiar places. The best
thing that can be done for animals that are visually impaired is to provide a safe, stable
environment. You should avoid moving further around the house, always keep your pet on a
leash when outdoors and obviously watch the traffic carefully. It is even possible to play
with animals that have lost their vision using certain toys. Animals can develop their other
senses more acutely to compensate for their lack of vision.
Cataracts are defined as any opacity in the lens of the eye and are often detected
when the eye looks cloudy. In general, once a cataract has developed, there is no
way to eliminate it except for a surgical procedure in which the lens is removed.
Once formation of a cataract has begun, most will progress to obscure vision
completely, although it is difficult to predict how quickly that will happen. Whilst
cataracts often occur most in older people and animals, it is possible for an animal
of any age to develop them. The causes of cataracts are numerous and include genetic
predisposition, traumatic injury, diabetes, toxins, and radiation therapy for cancer. In
addition, cataracts can occur in most animal species. Cataract surgery has been carried out
on almost every animal you can think of at some time or another, including cats, dogs, horses,
birds, reptiles, ferrets, camels, and even lions and tigers!
At most Veterinary Teaching Hospitals the same type of machine is used for removing human
cataracts to treatment of cataracts in animals. The instrument uses ultrasonic sound waves
to break down and remove the lens from the eye. New synthetic lenses are then implanted
inside the eye to replace the original lens. Even without the implant, an animal that has
had the cloudy lenses removed will see much better than an animal with advanced cataracts.
The lens allows the eye to focus on objects, especially ones that are very close. An
animal without lenses may see the mailman walking down the street clearly but may have
trouble focussing on the stairs up close. This is because animals rely on their focusing
ability much less than humans do, not having a replacement lens may not be a problem to them.
However, it still makes sense to go ahead and put in the implants for optimum vision.
In addition, because most pets will develop cataracts in both eyes, it is more cost effective
to perform surgery on both eyes at the same time. This is because the bulk of the cost of
surgery comes from the sterile equipment involved, which will be discarded after surgery.
The cost difference between correcting one eye or both eyes is quite small.
While leaving a cataract in the eye is a choice, it is important to realize that the
cataract can be a source of inflammation. As the cataract worsens, it can leak
proteins. The body then recognizes these proteins as a foreign substance and mounts
an immune response against them, causing inflammation. Animals with cataracts should
be monitored carefully for signs of inflammation and may need to be medicated
periodically for the rest of their lives.
Getting treatment for a pet's cataracts is a decision each pet owner must make. If
your pet has cataracts and you think you may want to restore the animal's vision, it
is best to do so early, while the cataract is immature. The best success with
cataract surgery is when the condition is noticed and treated as early as possible.
If you think that your pet may have cataracts, or you would like more information on
cataract surgery, then you should contact your veterinarian.
Mark Woodcock
1 Flea Control
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