Cataracts, humans will get cataracts, and the same is true for cats and dogs. Especially when cats get older, the greater the chance of cataracts. So what is cataracts? What should cats do if cats have cataracts? The editor will tell you below. 1. W...
Cataracts, humans will get cataracts, and the same is true for cats and dogs. Especially when cats get older, the greater the chance of cataracts. So what is cataracts? What should cats do if cats have cataracts? The editor will tell you below.
1. What is cataract?
Cataract refers to abnormal turbidity in the lens, or the cloud-like changes in the tissue, which prevents light from reaching the retina. Cataracts can occur in one eye or both eyes at the same time, and many cases will lead to blindness. In some cases, it may occur very quickly. Cataracts have many appearances, from small dot-shaped to broken ice-shaped, cloud-shaped, pearl-shaped, or white steam-shaped. Cataracts may develop from a small point to the entire crystal. This development process is difficult to predict, some are very fast, and some are very slow.
Medically defined cataracts, which refers to abnormal turbidity in the lens, or the cloudy changes in the tissue, preventing light from reaching the retina. A cat may have cataracts in one eye, or it may have cataracts in both eyes. In severe cases, cats will become blind in their eyes.
2. What causes cataracts?
Cataracts can be inherited or caused by trauma or inflammatory reactions inside the eyes. Intrinsic diseases can also cause cataracts (such as diabetes). Although it is difficult to distinguish the causes of cataracts, if there are no other eye diseases, it may be considered to be caused by genetic causes. In dogs, cataracts with genetic causes are common, but in cats, they are rarely caused by genetics. What is the treatment of cataracts? So far, no medicine can prove that it has prevented the development of cataracts, prevented the formation of cataracts, or changed the abnormalities inside the eyes caused by cataracts. Surgical means are the only way to treat cataracts, both in humans and in cats.
Catosis in pet cats may be genetic or inflammatory reactions caused by trauma or inside the eyes. In addition, internal diseases such as diabetes can also cause cats to suffer from cataracts. At present, the only way to treat cataracts is surgical treatment.
Note that parents themselves cannot treat cataracts. Be sure to take the cat to a professional pet hospital for professional diagnosis and treatment. Then ask an experienced veterinarian to perform the operation on the cat. During the operation, what parents can do is to learn more about the knowledge about treating cataracts, and at the same time cooperate with the veterinary treatment plan. Of course, it is also very important to take good care of cats.
III. Cataract treatment methods
Cataract surgery is an outpatient surgery in humans, but in cats, it requires hospitalization. Local medication is required at home 3-5 days before the operation. We are hospitalized the day before the operation, and then we have to drop eye drops several times before the operation. For cataract (or any other) surgery, we use the safest gas anesthesia method. During the operation, the nurse monitors the cat's breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, etc. The real operation time is about 30-40 minutes, and the regular anesthesia time is about 45-60 minutes. This process involves making a hole in the transparent capsule, then using an ultrasound and vacuum device to break the crystals and suck it out, and sucking the excess crystal fibers away. Once the crystal is sucked out, we will put the artificial crystals in, which is specially produced for dogs and cats. During the wake-up process, we must closely monitor the cat. Especially during the hospitalization, we observe the complications of animals after the operation. Sometimes we may do temporary partial sutures on the animal's eyelids. If so, usually remove the stitches after 14 days.
After the operation, the cat owner also needs to continuously drop eye drops and oral medications, which will slowly maintain a low dose of medication. The use of these medications is very important for the success of the surgery, which can minimize and control eye inflammation.
