? Cataracts

[babyg]

Can anyone please tell me anything they know about cataracts?
In a nutshell, about a year or two ago I took my cat to the vet because her one eye was starting to get cloudy. He said not to worry about it; that it was a cataract not related to diabetes and that where it was, it wasn't going to make her blind.
I just took her to the vet today (a different vet from before; we had changed vets) for other issues, and the vet told me she has cataracts because of the diabetes. I was crying in the office.
I am confused. Some people (and some articles I read online) say diabetes causes cataracts and that it doesn't. I don't know which is true.
Whichever the case, what about cataract surgery? Has anyone had their cat get that done? I didn't ask the vet about surgery because I was upset and there was a lot to take in with the other issues going on. I'm just wondering if that's a possibility that's worth it or not and if anyone has experiences they can share. My girl is almost 14 years old, but I still don't think that's a reason to not do anything about her vision if I can. But at the same time I don't want to put her through stuff I shouldn't. Sometimes people can get carried away with procedures and cause more distress than help to their animals.
Any advice or stories would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Red & Rover (GA)]

From: https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departm...rmation/feline-health-topics/feline-cataracts

The Cornell vet site is a very good go-to resource. The entire article is worth a read.

According to Thomas Kern, DVM, associate professor of ophthalmology at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, some feline cataracts develop as the result of an animal’s inability to metabolize proteins and other body chemicals, or they may in rare cases be a byproduct of such conditions as diabetes or hypertension. And older cats often get them as a natural consequence of the aging process. Other potential causes include traumatic injury that results in a perforated lens and exposure to certain drugs or toxic substances, radiation, or electric shock. In many cases, however, the cause of a cataract is unknown.

 

[babyg]

Thanks, I will check that out. I'd just hate for it to be because of me not managing the diabetes well. Some vets and laymen say give her this dose, give her that dose, her numbers are good, her numbers are bad, etc. So many opinions, and I just try to do the best I can. Feel like it's never good enough. I need to decide next how to treat the cataracts or not.

 

[Christie & Maverick]

While I have not yet experienced cats with cataracts, and I can't recall anyone here who has dealt with this, I can offer some thoughts based on my experience with my dog who had cataracts.

To begin, I would recommend you go to a board certified veterinary ophthalmologist to get a proper opthalmic exam; while your vet may be adequately knowledgeable and may be right, there might also be a different explanation for the cloudiness, which is called nuclear sclerosis that occurs when cats age, and typically unlike cataracts do not impact vision. Are you finding that she is bumping into things, or having troubles seeing depths when jumping or other signs of vision impairment?

The ophthalmologist really should take a look and determine whether cataracts are present and how far they have progressed but will also do other exams like to see whether the retina is functioning properly, and whether there is any eye inflammation by checking interocular pressures. Checking the eye pressures is important, because chronic inflammation can be a risk factor in cataracts developing. Depending on what may or may not be going on will determine whether she is even a good candidate for surgery.

Some other things to keep in mind:
1) the opthalmologist would be the one doing the actual surgery/lens replacement not your neighbourhood vet.
2) if it is cataracts, depending on how far they have progressed will indicate level of vision still available; something like 30% lens opacity would mean there are little to no signs of vision impairment. My dog was at 60% for a number of years (although different situation, the cataracts were congenital, he was young and not diabetic), and while I did see some signs of vision loss, it was manageable and he was considered "stable" by the opthalmologist. We went for regular eye checks (every 6 months) to continue to monitor his status. Of course once the cataracts get to 100% that means no light is getting to the retina. I chose to do the surgery when I started to notice impairment, difficulty seeing in less light, depth perception issues, bumping into things, not being able to catch his frisbee anymore , and at that point, we were at 80% opacity.
2) Surgery of course comes with risks - anesthesia, post-op complications (bleeding, inflammation/swelling, etc). It's easy with humans who know better than to rub their eyes, but with animals, you'll need to make sure she does not so she'll need a cone.
3) A week before surgery, you will likely need to give prednisolone eye drops twice a day then that would continue on for a few months after. The prednisolone may affect her BG levels so you would need to evaluate BG and dosing adjustments a little more closely.
4) After surgery, you'd likely need to give eye drops to reduce eye pressures, which is given 4 times a day.

If it were me, I'd go see a veterinary opthalmologist and get their opinion on her eye condition, and go from there.

I completely understand how scary a potential diagnosis of cataracts in your furbaby can be , so of course you are going to be sad, and feel badly for your baby having to go through the possibility of blindness. It may not be any consolation, but animals are actually quite resilient, so they can, and do, adjust with other senses taking over to compensate for a sense that is weakened. My pup may not have been able to see the bunny rabbits, deer or coyotes in the neighbourhood very well on our early morning walks at dawn, but he sure could smell and hear them!

There are things you can do at home to make things easier for her if she is indeed going to have progressed vision loss and surgery isn't an option.

 

[babyg]

Thank you; this is very detailed and gives me an idea what to possibly expect. I made an appointment with an ophthalmologist; however, soonest they could get me in is July 10th. I could try to call around and see if somewhere else can get me in sooner, but this place is a teaching hospital and I tend to trust them the most.
This picture is from April 2021 when I first noticed a cloudiness in her eye. I brought her to the vet she had at the time and he said it was a cataract but it was in some fissure or y shaped or whatever...but that there wasn't anything you could do about it and she wasn't going to go blind. I don't think her eyes look much if any different from then. I have noticed though, if I go to hand her a treat that it seems like she's going more by scent than sight. I'll have to experiment more by that to see what's going on.

 

[Larry and Kitties]

Cataracts is clouding of the lens of the eye. There are other conditions that cause general clouding of the eyes and that is sort of normal on old cats.I has one civi who had cataracts that were first notices when she was about 8 weeks old. They got progressively worse thought her life but she did not seem to notice. She passed at 13 years. I had another diabetic cate where cataracts were noticed when she was old and has been diabetic for over 10 years. She did not seem to notice.

In diabetic dogs unless BG is quickly controlled they develop cataracts and degrades their quality of life. When I was at a vet's office I was talking to a caretaker whose dog had cataract surgery to restore site due to diabetes. That surgery can be done on cats too but is expensive.
This has good photo of an eye w/ cataracts. It show texture in the lens, noit overall clouding.
https://www.cliniciansbrief.com/article/cataracts-cats

 

[babyg]

The vet still insists it's diabetes related but she said even cats with well-regulated BGs can get them. I told her from what I was reading, it sounded like cataracts from diabetes was rare in cats, and she agreed but said it's in comparison to dogs, and that probably 90% or so of diabetic dogs get them. According to her, the cataracts are partial and are not affecting vision right now. Sounds like they are newish or have been developing slowly. She said surgery is not done unless the BGs are well regulated because otherwise they can come back. Yet the fructosamine shows she's decently regulated (though of course could be better and we all know that), so I don't know really what to think. Two vets previously who noticed her eyes said it wasn't from diabetes but age. I'm keeping my specialist appointment because 1) I expect and hope that her BGs will be where we want them by then, and 2) they'll be able to do more of a complete exam and I'm sure give me more info as to cause and options.

 

[Larry and Kitties]

She said surgery is not done unless the BGs are well regulated because otherwise they can come back.

That does not make sense. Cataract surgery removes the lens and in animals an artificial lens may be inserted. In humans an artificial lens is always inserted.That lens can't get cloudy so cataracts are permanently prevented in the future.
I have had cataract surgery in both eyes.

 

[babyg]

That does not make sense. Cataract surgery removes the lens and in animals an artificial lens may be inserted. In humans an artificial lens is always inserted.That lens can't get cloudy so cataracts are permanently prevented in the future.
I have had cataract surgery in both eyes.

Right? Thinking about it now, it really doesn't make sense. Good thing I have an appointment with the ophthalmologist then lol.

 

[Veronica & Babu-chiri]

Yes I think the ophtalmoogist is the one that can give you a better idea , none of my babys ( dogs or cats) have had cataract surgery but my vet does do them so I've seen some patients ( we go to the vet a lot) and for what I've seen it is done more now than a few years ago and they do seem to recover quite ok, haven't heard of them requiring more than one surgery

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

Animals are great about adjusting to the loss of one of their senses especially when the loss is gradual. My parents had a dog that became blind because of cataracts. You would never had guessed because of his behavior. He ran and jumped just like he did when he could see.