Glaucoma
A glaucoma is a rise in pressure inside the eye. This illness is very frequent for animals. It is essential to have a medical consultation, as it can be serious.
A glaucoma is characterized most of the time by:
- a decreased sight
- a red eye
- a strong pain
- A larger pupil than the normal eye
- A bluish white and opaque aspect of the cornea
Causes of glaucomas are numerous: either a primary glaucoma or a secondary glaucoma due to a trauma, uveitis, luxation of the lens…
The diagnosis is found by measuring the pressure of the eye with a device called a tonometer.
The vet then tries to determine the cause of the glaucoma.
The treatment must be put in place as quickly as possible. It is an emergency, and this treatment has the following goals:
- Decrease the pressure inside the eye
- Reduce the pain
- Avoid after-effects and complications
- Preserve sight
In certains cases, the medical treatments (using eye drops, perfusions and/or pills) are not enough. In that case, the vet has to resort to surgery.
Several actions are possible according to the seriousness and the persistency or not of sight: trabeculectomy, putting in place a drainage implant, injection of gentamicin, intra-ocular prosthesis, cyclocryoapplication…
