We went to the vet with my mother's cat today as his left eye has been acting up with a dilated pupil. It turns out that he has glaucoma in his eye. The eye pressure was 90 mm Hg, whereas the normal pressure is somewhere around 10-20 mm Hg. Blood tests ruled out FeLV, FIP, FIV etc, but we are waiting for some more results in a few days. He is also getting pain meds, of course, as well as a couple of different eye drops in a desperate attempt to save the eye.
The vet mentioned that sometimes, the glaucoma can come to affect the healthy eye as well in a few months.
There is the option of having the eye removed if it doesn't get better, as it probably causes him pain. Now, removing one eye would be okay, if only there was a big chance that the other eye DOES NOT become affected. We don't want to put him through the pain and hardships of eye removal only for his other eye to get sick soon after. Of course, it's one thing if it takes years before his healthy eye is affected, but if it only takes a few months, then it wouldn't be worth it. This is an outdoor cat that is used to coming and going as he likes, and, frankly, in this case it is not an option to have a completely blind cat.
So, I'm curious to hear of other's experience with feline glaucoma. Has it stayed in just one eye, or did both eyes get affected? If the latter, how long time passed before the healthy eye turned bad? Did you ever get to know the underlying cause of the glaucoma?
Edit: I should probably also add that we don't know for sure how old he is. He came to my mom after his previous owner died, and they had not had him as a kitten. We have been guessing/estimating his age to be around eight or nine at this point, but he could definitely be older as well.
The vet mentioned that sometimes, the glaucoma can come to affect the healthy eye as well in a few months.
There is the option of having the eye removed if it doesn't get better, as it probably causes him pain. Now, removing one eye would be okay, if only there was a big chance that the other eye DOES NOT become affected. We don't want to put him through the pain and hardships of eye removal only for his other eye to get sick soon after. Of course, it's one thing if it takes years before his healthy eye is affected, but if it only takes a few months, then it wouldn't be worth it. This is an outdoor cat that is used to coming and going as he likes, and, frankly, in this case it is not an option to have a completely blind cat.
So, I'm curious to hear of other's experience with feline glaucoma. Has it stayed in just one eye, or did both eyes get affected? If the latter, how long time passed before the healthy eye turned bad? Did you ever get to know the underlying cause of the glaucoma?
Edit: I should probably also add that we don't know for sure how old he is. He came to my mom after his previous owner died, and they had not had him as a kitten. We have been guessing/estimating his age to be around eight or nine at this point, but he could definitely be older as well.
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