When retinal atrophy is the problem, the usual progression of symptoms noted by the cat owner is dilated pupils > night blindness > total blindness. Progressive retinal atrophy does occur in cats but less commonly than it occurs in dogs. It is really surprising how much better some cats feel after treatment for glaucoma when their owners were not aware that behavioral changes they were seeing (like clinginess or crying a lot) were due to glaucoma. It is worth checking eye pressure to ensure that glaucoma is not present even if the retinal atrophy is complete, because glaucoma is painful. In cats glaucoma can be a very insidious disorder. Unless your cat is being fed a diet low in taurine this is presently an unlikely cause of the degeneration. Taurine deficiency used to be the most common cause of retinal degeneration in cats but once the requirement for higher taurine levels was recognized, this cause became uncommon. High blood pressure usually occurs due to kidney disease or hyperthyroidism, so it is still worth thinking about checking for these disorders and measuring blood pressure and treating any of these conditions if they are present.
If complete blindness was present when the pupils were dilated a year ago, it isn't too likely that treatment at this time would make a difference. Mary Glaze spoke at last month and she said she had seen some come back after a month of blindness. While I can't remember a patient who recovered after more than a week of being blind, I was at a seminar on ophthalmology that Dr. If the high blood pressure is treated immediately there is a chance that the subsequent damage can be avoided. The most common cause of retinal atrophy in cats is high blood pressure leading to retinal detachment, leading to retinal atrophy. I felt that confirming the diagnosis and knowing that I didn't make a mistake and miss a treatable condition was worthwhile. I did this even though I knew that there was no hope for treatment. I can say this with absolute certainty because I diagnosed this problem in my own dog and immediately took her to an ophthalmologist for confirmation. If this were my cat, I would be asking for referral to a veterinary ophthalmologist for confirmation of the diagnosis of retinal atrophy. I want to get this in first before I go on, in case I forget. He can still see somewhat, and doesn't have to much problem in getting around, is there anything to prevent further deterioration? The vet checked and said every thing was fine, we just went for another check up and she told me he has this. Sudden Onset Blindness Due to HypertensionĬan you tell me anything about Retinal Atrophy, and hope for some kind of recovery? I noticed about a year ago my 13 year old male cat's pupils were always enlarged. Problem with Remaining Eye After One Eye RemovedĬonjunctivitis Not Responding to Treatment The following are real life cases of Eye problems in Cats that have been treated by Dr.
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