My senior dog has cataracts. Can eye drops clear her cloudy eyes?

Related Answers from Veterinarians

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  Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

  Veterinarian

  Published on December 14th, 2017

  I'm sorry to hear that Leche may be developing cataracts. Cataracts occur due to a variety of underlying changes and are essentially an opacity on the lens within the eye. To the naked eye, cataracts can easily be mistaken for a normal aging change, called nuclear sclerosis which causes hazy changes on the cornea of the eye. Cataracts can only be treated with surgery, but this is not necessarily recommended for every dog. The eye drops available on the market have not been shown to be effective (except in the case of cataracts caused by diabetes) and can cause some deleterious side effects. Although cataracts do impact vision, they are not painful and do not always require an urgent visit to the vet. I hope this helps to clarify things and that all goes well for Leche!

  

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  Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

  Veterinarian

  Published on December 13th, 2017

  It depends on the cause of the cloudiness. If it's cloudy due to a cataract, then surgery would be the only option. However, cloudiness can also be due to lenticular sclerosis, which is a normal sign of aging in dogs and does not require any treatment. Cloudiness in the eye can also indicate an infection, inflammation, or damage to the eye. These conditions require specific treatment (depending on the cause), but surgery is not usually necessary. It's important that you have a veterinarian examine Gidget, so the exact cause of the cloudiness is diagnosed. They can then discuss treatment options. I hope that helps and all is well with Gidget.

  

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  Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

  Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

  Published on October 4th, 2018

  Cataracts are deep in the eye in the lens. They are uncommon in young dogs. Even older dogs with cloudy lenses more commonly have nuclear sclerosis (looks like a cataract but doesn't affect vision). If you vet was concerned about entropion (rolling eyelids), this issue can cause chronic irritation to the surface of the eye (the cornea) which causes cloudiness. If this is the case, Hank would need surgery to make the eyelid sit like normal. Without surgery, he is at an increased risk of corneal ulcer leading to perforation of the eyeball, which would require removal. Also, it is really uncomfortable! Imagine the discomfort from an eyelash in your eye, then imagine all of your eyelashes are in your eye all the tie and you can't get them out. There are some sedative-type medications that can be used prior to vet visit, but they would need to be prescribed by your vet. https://www.petcoach.co/article/entropion-inward-folding-eyelids-in-dogs/

  

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