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My cat has a deep eye scratch that's getting worse. Can it be saved?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Persian | Male | unneutered

Hi can this eye be saved was from a deep scratch but has go worse

This question includes photos that may contain sensitive content. Click to view.

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr Stafford, BVetMed, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on October 16th, 2017

Unfortunately this looks very bad to me. Obviously looking at a photograph is not as good as examining in real life, but this cornea looks incredibly damaged. I think this eye is beyond redemption and I would recommend enucleation (removal of the eye). I'm sorry, although Giz will feel so much better.

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    Answered By Jeffrey Milner

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    That looks like it definitely hurts! The first thing you will need to do in order to begin to answer that question would be to have the eye stained with a fluorescent dye. This can be done at any veterinary office and is a standard part of any ophthalmic exam. This will show just how far the ulceration extends both in diameter and depth. In this case, depth will be the most important factor in determining its severity. Just based on the picture, it looks to be somewhere between a deep stromal and a melting ulcer (second worst and worst types), but diagnostics will be needed before confirming this. In many cases, these eyes can be saved but only with a lot of time and a significant amount of medical therapy. Your kitty will need to wear a protective cone in order to prevent any sort of additional damage that could be self-inflicted. In terms of medications, usually anywhere from three to five different drops will be employed. Some of these have the goal of rebuilding the corneal tissue, some have the goals of reducing inflammation, and others have the goal of preventing secondary infection. Let me just be very forward with you though - you should not delay any longer with treatment. Every hour you wait, the chance of the eye functioning again decreases significantly. Hope this makes sense.

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