Feline Eye Injuries

Most feline eye injuries involve the cat showing symptoms of squinting, tearing, pawing at the eye or face, rubbing the eye, inflammation around the eye socket, cloudiness of the cornea or signs of bleeding and trauma to the face. You may be unable to see the cat's eye because the third eyelid, as a protective membrane just inside the outer eyelid, covers the eye. In order to protect a cat's eyesight, seek a veterinary diagnosis and treatment whenever noticing signs of injury.

  1. Corneal Ulcers

    • Corneal ulcers occur when an injury allows an opening in the cornea--the clear coating over the lens in your cat's eye--to expose the underlying eye tissues. Untreated corneal lacerations and foreign objects also cause ulcers that need veterinary treatment in order to heal, states Dr. Alleice Summers in "Common Diseases of Companion Animals."

      Veterinarians diagnose corneal ulcers using a fluorescein dye applied to the eyeball and then view the eye under a cobalt blue light. The ulcer shows as a bright blue-green spot on the cornea. Typical treatment includes topical atropine plus an antibiotic ointment to be given four to six times a day. Dr. Summers advises that although most ulcers heal quickly with medication, some ulcers are more serious and require aggressive treatment.

    Eye Proptosis

    • Major facial or head injuries, such as those caused by a car accident or a long fall, cause what veterinarians call proptosis--displacement of the eyeball out of its socket. A veterinary emergency, eye proptosis results in blindness, loss of the eye and possible death if not treated promptly.

      Because the eyelids are trapped behind the eye, the eye cannot retreat into the socket and the cornea quickly becomes discolored and dry. The only treatment involves surgery to put the eye back into the socket or enucleation, removal of the eyeball if it is too badly damaged.

    Horner's Syndrome

    • Veterinarians diagnose Horner's Syndrome by determining the presence of a set of particular symptoms on one side of your cat's head, including the small pupil size of one eye, drooping of that eye's upper eyelid, sunken appearance to the eye, protrusion of the third eyelid and inflammation on that side of the face. Two common causes of Horner's Syndrome are bite wounds and car accidents, where trauma occurs to the neck, chest or head. Veterinary treatment includes eye drops to relieve ocular signs plus managing the underlying cause.

    Ocular Trauma

    • Ocular trauma results from blunt or sharp objects being applied with force directly to the cat's eye, causing bleeding, dislocation from the socket, displacement of the lens and possible rupture of the eyeball. Objects causing the injury might include sharp branches or sticks, sharp toys, small thrown objects or another cat's claws, says Dr. Noelle McNabb of PetPlace.com.

      Veterinarians commonly recommend a complete eye examination of the pet when trauma is suspected, including staining of the cornea to detect any abrasions and radiographs if a head injury is involved. Surgical intervention may be necessary if the ocular trauma is severe.