# Cat with cloudy eyes- help please



## Nicki85 (Oct 6, 2010)

So, yesterday Snow woke up with one cloudy eye. Today the other was also cloudy... She is slightly lethargic but eating and everything else fine (no sneezing, coughing or weepy eyes etc etc!). She has been to the vets today and they are completely baffled they had the text books out and everything. The vet is ringing the ophthalmologist tomorrow and will ring us back then. However, thought i'd see what others thought? 

So symptoms- 
cloudy eyes
not reacting as well as they should to light (pupils were sluggish were her exact words!) 
Slightly lethargic but may be due to her not being able to see as well.

Vet is clutching at straws and did mention herpes but I don't think she knows.

We have antibiotic drops for her eyes as well.


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## Poppycat (Sep 9, 2011)

Did they check her eye pressures ?

Raised eye pressure can cause the corneas to become cloudy.

If its very raised however the cat will be in discomfort as its quite painful. 

How old is your cat ? Has she ever had any previous eye problems ?


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## Nicki85 (Oct 6, 2010)

No... not yet. 

She is 9 months old, nothing wrong with her eyes before. She has had one bug which resulted in a high temperature and needed anti-inflams to bring temp down but that has been it. Apart from that she has been the picture of health!


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## Miri (Oct 20, 2012)

Is there another vet you can go to for a second opinion if need be?

There's a post on PF specifically on this subject - do be warned though, it makes quite an alarming read, but the information may be useful to you and the vet as a list of things to check:

http://www.petforums.co.uk/cat-health-nutrition/103196-cloudy-eyes-cats.html


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## Nicki85 (Oct 6, 2010)

Our vet told us to be prepared to travel to the ophthalmologist this week and we will do so if needs be. 

Feel like we are having no luck with the animals at the moment! 

I'll have a look at the post- I'm scaring myself with the possibility that she might have herpes (and therefor her brother as well) anyhow!


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## Poppycat (Sep 9, 2011)

If there's no weeping or discharge it probably isn't an infection. Did the vets put some dye in and check with blue light ?

Is the cloudiness a generalised dullness of the whole cornea or can you see a localised patch ? 

If its all over cloudy then it could be due to some inflammation inside the front part of the eye (uveitis). Uveitis on its own can cause the eyes to look cloudy. The uveitis can also cause the pressure to rise. Alternatively she might just have high pressure alone without any inflammation. 

Is she a particular breed ?


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## Ianthi (Oct 21, 2008)

Do you have a photograph Nicki85? 

Actually, given it appears to be posing such problems for the vets (I'm sure they'd recognize the more usual conditions like glaucoma etc ) I'm wondering about toxoplasmosis as this can cause eye problems incl blindness in kittens and cats! They can harbour it asymptomatically until immune system is compromised for any reason. You can test for it with a bloodtest.


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## Cazzer (Feb 1, 2010)

doesn't sound like herpes to me [we used to have a cat with it]. his eyes would close over and become very red and inflammed and swollen. Also they would be watery. herpes can't be cured but it can be managed. Beau only occasionally would have flare ups [probably 3 times in the 6 years we had him]. none of my other 6 cats at the time got it either, [they were tested a year or so later when a new kitten developed conjuctivitis and then they all got it] so even if it is herpes your other cat might not get it.


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## Nicki85 (Oct 6, 2010)

Nope no dye or blue lights. 

Yes it is a generalised cloudiness all over the eye... I will try and get a photo when she wakes up although not sure it will come out very well.

She is a Ragdoll and she is raw fed if that could be a potential problem with toxoplasmosis. Will mention it to the vets tomorrow.


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## Poppycat (Sep 9, 2011)

Tox can cause uveitis, but there are other causes too. 

If both eyes are cloudy then its mostly likely a systemic underlying cause. If its only one eye then its most likely to be an ocular cause (ie a problem within the eye itself). 

If she has uveitis it can cause a blockage of the fluid drainage inside the eye and give rise to a secondary glaucoma. See if your normal vets can at least check the eye pressure as if its very high they can start treatment straight away.

She'll need to be examined with some special equipment to see where exactly the inflammation is. 

I'd get her seen by the ophthalmologist asap as irreversible damage can occur relatively fast.


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## Ianthi (Oct 21, 2008)

Yes, raw fed cat are more predisposed so certainly worth ruling out toxoplasmosis. If your vets can forward a photograph to an opthamologist, then that's your best bet. Or a second opinion, of course! Actually, has she been on steroids recently?


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## Nicki85 (Oct 6, 2010)

Nope no steroids... might wake her up in a min and try and get a photo.


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## Nicki85 (Oct 6, 2010)

Here are some pics of Snow just taken... her eyes have actually cleared a bit since administrating the antibiotics but still reacting to light really slowly.


















Here is her brother Cas for comparison (he would NOT sit still!)









She can see her laser pen fine and is playing with that but doesn't want to play with her brother.


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## Nicki85 (Oct 6, 2010)

THis was taken last night.


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## Poppycat (Sep 9, 2011)

The photo from last night shows her corneas to be odematous (cloudy) and the right eye looks enlarged (known as buphthalmus). Both these occur when eye pressure is very raised. 

It looks very much to me like she has an attack of acute glaucoma in that picture. Acute attacks can subside which is why the morning one looks almost normal. I would suspect either primary glaucoma or secondary to other inflammation. It's most likely a secondary one in which case she'll need treatment for the inflammation (usually steroids) and pressure lowering drops. If she has inflammation (uveitis) then the cause for that will need to be established and the underlying condition treated too. 

I would get her seen to asap by an ophthalmologist. Acute glaucoma can cause a lot of damage in a VERY short space of time.


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## Nicki85 (Oct 6, 2010)

Just to update- going to see the specialist in Portsmouth in an hour or so  This morning they look like this-


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## Ianthi (Oct 21, 2008)

I'm so glad you've scheduled an opthalmic appointment so quickly today as this is the best way forward! So best of luck with that! (Still a bit surprised to learn your usual vets didn't appear to have any ideas, though!) 

BTW she's absolutely gorgeous!

Do let us know how it goes!


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## Nicki85 (Oct 6, 2010)

I just think they hadn't seen anything like it before- she is fine in her self and only 8 months old- doesn't seem in pain or acting oddly. They were very quick to talk to the specialists and luckily they are only an hour away. 

I'll keep you all posted once she has seen the specialist.


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## Poppycat (Sep 9, 2011)

Another reason for cloudy corneas, although rare in cats, is endothelial dystrophy. This is usually an inherited condition and is painless and not sight threatening. Some of the cells that control the water regulation in the cornea malfunction and so it becomes water logged.

Common in humans as they get older. Not the most likely diagnosis I think in this case, but worth asking about if all else is normal.


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## Nicki85 (Oct 6, 2010)

Right... seen the specialist and...

He has seen one other case of her problem ever and that was in 2001! She has lipids in her eyes and it is varying because they are going in and out (!) as the levels naturally vary in her blood (way out of my depth here!). Likley she has a problem with her metabolism and the way she metabolises lipids... Just had some dye in her eyes now so still waiting for more thoughts from them! I suspect we will have to closely look at her diet. Good news is that there is no damage to her eyes- no glucoma or anything. All very odd...


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## ella (Jan 1, 2009)

Gosh, they are both gorgeous!

I'm glad you've seen the specialist and have some answers. Will you need to get them both checked for this condition?

I hope it all subsides quickly and is easily managed


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## Ianthi (Oct 21, 2008)

Nicki85 said:


> Right... seen the specialist and...
> 
> He has seen one other case of her problem ever and that was in 2001! She has lipids in her eyes and it is varying because they are going in and out (!) as the levels naturally vary in her blood (way out of my depth here!). Likley she has a problem with her metabolism and the way she metabolises lipids... Just had some dye in her eyes now so still waiting for more thoughts from them! I suspect we will have to closely look at her diet. Good news is that there is no damage to her eyes- no glucoma or anything. All very odd...


Well, I'm so glad to hear you've got a prompt diagnosis-this is what the specialists are for! If it's excess blood lipids then I wonder about methionine deficiency?. I didn't like to say this before and scare you unnecessarily, but I have to say FIP did cross my mind at one point! However, it can be mistaken for toxoplasmosis as well!

I'm sure you're so relieved and thanks for updating us!


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## Poppycat (Sep 9, 2011)

Wow thats an incredibly unusual and rare diagnosis !! 

Good news that she doesn't have glaucoma or uveitis.

In humans lipid in the cornea is usually more discrete deposits, rather than diffuse like this. 

Lipid has to come in from blood vessels. A healthy cornea doesn't normally have blood vessels coming in to the centre, but scarring can cause blood vessels to grow into more central areas. Did he say if she has corneal vascularisation (blood vessels growth) ? 

If so what is the cause of that ? 

The normal blood vessels stop at the edge of the cornea, so lipids if they are being deposited would usually form a band or ring around the edge. A ring of lipid deposition is normal with ageing.


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## Ianthi (Oct 21, 2008)

Poppycat said:


> .
> 
> If so what is the cause of that ?


If the specialists are saying it's metabolic and hinting at dietary changes then I'd suspect it's either a liver or pancreatic problem (deficiency). They'll obviously have to do lots of tests to establish the cause but I'm sure we'll hear soon enough!


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## Poppycat (Sep 9, 2011)

I probably didn't word that last post v well so to clarify.......

Corneal Lipidosis / Lipid Keratopathy (lipid in the cornea) is one of two types: 

- Primary: This occurs in the absence of anything else going on in the eye. Its almost unheard of in humans and from what I've read cats too. Its seen in a few breed of dogs. 


- Secondary: This is more common and occurs secondary to something else going on in the eye eg trauma or infections that have left scars and cause blood vessels to grow into the compromised area. Lipid then leaches out of those blood vessels.


Because the first type is so rare I wondered whether anything else had shown up on the eye which was causing blood vessel ingrowth. The way to manage the lipidosis then would be to deal with the underlying ocular condition. 


From what we know so far the specialist is veering towards a diagnosis of primary lipidosis, but its rareness would make me look principally for a secondary cause.


Anyway hopefully there'll be more info coming soon. 


Very unusual case, particularly as in humans at least lipid doesn't clear out of the cornea that fast / if at all.


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## Nicki85 (Oct 6, 2010)

It's primary... v. rare and the specialist had written a paper on the one case he had seen before in 2001 which is why he diagnosed it so quickly. Eyes themselves were perfect- no blood vessel problems, we saw the pictures! 

It was free lipids in the aqueous humour due to possible inflammation of the membrane allowing the lipids through secondary to potential hyperlipidiema. (?)

Initial blood tests came back clear but the lipid tests will come back within the next two weeks. I'll let you know what comes back... But yes, looking to see if lipids are raised and then if so for what reason.


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## Poppycat (Sep 9, 2011)

Thats a stroke of luck you saw this specialist !!!! Brilliant that you got a diagnosis so fast. 

Did he say whether your cat is at any more risk of getting a secondary glaucoma ? Lipid leaching into in the aqueous means that the blood aqueous barrier is compromised and potentially there's other things such as proteins etc leaching into it too. These can clog up the drainage channels, so I'd make sure you get her eye pressures checked regularly. 

Has he suggested steroids at all to see if they might help with any underlying inflammation and stop the lipid from leaking ?

Fingers crossed that this is 'idiopathic' ie without any obvious underlying cause and that its only the eyes affected.


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## Nicki85 (Oct 6, 2010)

No, no further treatment required- he said that any inflammation would resolve itself. He said they were already starting to clear... Yes, very lucky he knew what he was talking about! He was very excited about the whole thing as well- even wanted to do a comparison between her and her brother!


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## Poppycat (Sep 9, 2011)

Would love to see her myself...... a rare text book case. If she was mine I'd sneak her in to QA !


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## Nicki85 (Oct 6, 2010)

Yes... the other vets there were excited too! We were just glad her eyes are still working. What do you do anyhow? Vet? Doctor? Guessing you have some sort of medical/ veterinary background! Oh and what is QA?!


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## Ianthi (Oct 21, 2008)

I've definitely heard about it (hyperlidipemia) since I had a cat with high cholesterol levels (one of the lipids-the other is triglyceride ) which in his case was secondary due to pancreatitis. So I wonder which one is raised in Snow's case?

The science behind fat digestion, clearance etc is quite complex so I doubt you'll have an exact diagnsosis very soon! Out of interest was the blood test today a fasting one? Did the specialist think it was a genetic condition? Did he prescribe anything?


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## Nicki85 (Oct 6, 2010)

No, not a fasting blood test- she had had a huge bowl of NI venison before she left lol. Vet knew she had been fed though. 

Could be genetic...

Nope, nothing prescribed and she has no other symptoms at the moment.


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## Poppycat (Sep 9, 2011)

QA: Queen Alexandra Hosp, Portsmouth.

Hyperlipidaemia is a common condition but to see that much lipid in the aqueous such that it clouds the cornea to that extent is very uncommon. 

..off to go and find this paper.


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## Nicki85 (Oct 6, 2010)

Ah I see! His name is Robert Lowe if that helps  Works at Optivet in Horsham...


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## Bello (Dec 12, 2016)

Nicki85 said:


> So, yesterday Snow woke up with one cloudy eye. Today the other was also cloudy... She is slightly lethargic but eating and everything else fine (no sneezing, coughing or weepy eyes etc etc!). She has been to the vets today and they are completely baffled they had the text books out and everything. The vet is ringing the ophthalmologist tomorrow and will ring us back then. However, thought i'd see what others thought?
> 
> So symptoms-
> cloudy eyes
> ...


Ask about the VERY FATAL... FIP its not a very know disease


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Bello said:


> Ask about the VERY FATAL... FIP its not a very know disease


Last post on this thread was 2013


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