Feline Eye Problems & Idoxuridine

Eye injuries and diseases can be painful for your cat, and detection is often difficult because your feline cannot tell you about its eye problems. Help your cat by knowing what to look for, and learn about common eye conditions that can be treated with Idoxuridine.

  1. Feline Herpes Virus

    • This feline herpes virus is the most common to cats, particularly because it is easily transmitted from cat to cat. Feline herpes virus affects the nasal area and eyes of cats, and usually lasts a few weeks. Even though controlled, the virus can flare-up in the future. Your veterinarian might recommend antibiotic medication to help prevent bacterial infections. The feline herpes virus can cause serious eye conditions that can be treated easily if detected early, though detecting eye conditions in cats proves to be more challenging than in some other animals.

    Corneal Ulcers

    • Corneal ulcers are painful conditions where the outermost layer of the eye, the cornea, loses cells and thickens. Cats show signs of squinting, inflammation and drainage. Milky haze, similar to a cloud, might cover a part, or all, of the cat's cornea.

    Conjunctivitis

    • Conjunctivitis, also known as "pink eye," occurs when the pink area around the eye, which includes the inside of the eyelid and the white part of the eye, becomes inflamed. Feline herpes virus is a common cause of conjunctivitis. Symptoms of conjunctivitis include discharge or redness and apparent inflammation around the eye. One or both eyes can be affected.

    Treatment Using Idoxuridine

    • Idoxuridine is an eye drop that is commonly used to treat eye conditions related to the feline herpes virus. A veterinarian will determine the length of treatment that is appropriate for the cat's eye problem, though drops might be used for weeks at a time.

    Idoxuridine Side Effects

    • The only known side effect from this ophthalmic drop is irritation around the eye or the eye itself.