Cataract

The lens is transparent and allows the rays of light to converge on the retina. This lens must be transparent in order for the rays to pass through it and allow a good sight. The cataract is the loss of transparency of the lens which will become white and opaque. Animals become blind little by little.

This disease is quite frequent and causes are variable. It can be hereditary, senile, or secondary to an intra-ocular inflammation, diabetes etc…

It is possible to consider a surgery in order for your animal to recover its sight.This surgery consists in extracting the damaged lens and therefore allow the rays of light to pass through once again. Surgery is the only possible treatment for the cataract.

A recent surgical technique called phaco-emulsification, consists in extracting the lens using ultrasounds and an aspiration technique. This technique is the most modern nowadays, for people as well as for animals.

This technique constists on incising the cornea on 3,2 mm, which leaves practically no scar later on. This technique is exactly the same one used routinely on people. This surgery is absolutely not painful. Your animal stays only one day in the clinic. You can leave him in the morning and come pick it up in the afternoon. You will need to put eyedrops in its eyes for approximately a month afterwards.

Complications are rare and results are usually very satisfactory.

The questions that we hear most of the time is: “Isn’t my animal too old to undergo a surgery for the cataract?”. However, age is not considered to be an illness. If your animal is healthy, and does not have a serious illness such as heart failure, than an anesthesia is possible, as well as the surgery for the cataract. Your vet can uncover these diseases by doing for example a blood test, an electrocardiogram or other tests before the surgery.