What causes retinal detachment in cats?

Retinal detachment is most frequently associated with high blood pressure, an overly active thyroid gland, or kidney disease. In some instances, prompt and proper veterinary treatment can restore partial vision to a cat with a retinal detachment, but in most cases, permanent blindness will result.

What is the most common cause of retinal detachment?

Rhegmatogenous: The most common cause of retinal detachment happens when there’s a small tear in your retina. Eye fluid called vitreous can travel through the tear and collect behind the retina. It then pushes the retina away, detaching it from the back of your eye.

Can cat retinas reattach?

It is also possible that the retina cannot be reattached, or that the cat’s blindness is irreversible. In these cases, your veterinarian may equip you with lifestyle management training skills to improve the overall quality of life for your pet.

Why does your retina detach?

There are many causes of retinal detachment, but the most common causes are aging or an eye injury. There are 3 types of retinal detachment: rhegmatogenous, tractional, and exudative. Each type happens because of a different problem that causes your retina to move away from the back of your eye.

Can retinal detachment in cats be fixed?

Treatment of Retinal Detachment in Cats This will treat the underlying cause of the detachment. The next step is to correct the detachment. This can be done with a conservative approach using medications or with surgical reattachment.

What are the warning signs of a detached retina?

Detached retina symptoms and warning signs

• Eye floaters: tiny spots or wavy lines that drift across your field of view.
• Flashes or flickers of light in your vision.
• Blurry vision.
• A shadow or “curtain” growing over your vision.
• Worsening side (peripheral) vision.

How quickly must a detached retina be treated?

If your retina has detached, you’ll need surgery to repair it, preferably within days of a diagnosis. The type of surgery your surgeon recommends will depend on several factors, including how severe the detachment is.

What does vision look like with retinal detachment?

The sudden appearance of many floaters — tiny specks that seem to drift through your field of vision. Flashes of light in one or both eyes (photopsia) Blurred vision. Gradually reduced side (peripheral) vision.

Is it cruel to keep a blind cat alive?

A blind cat can have a wonderful, happy life. It is not cruel to allow your pet to function as a blind pet. In fact, blind pets are not nearly as concerned about their deficit as most owners. When your pet becomes blind, the cat will just rely on its sense of smell and hearing.

Does high blood pressure cause retinal detachment?

The higher the blood pressure and the longer it has been high, the more severe the damage is likely to be. High blood pressure can’t directly cause retinal detachment. But if you have high blood pressure, you are at a higher risks of retinal detachment.

Can a cat recover from blindness?

In some cases the underlying cause of the blindness will be reversible and normal vision may return. However, in other cases, even if the underlying cause is resolved, the damage to the sight may be permanent and there may be no change or improvement in the cat’s vision.

Can a cat go blind from kidney failure?

Often cats with significant kidney insufficiency will become very dehydrated. Cats with kidney disease may also develop high blood pressure. This may cause blindness, behavioural changes or neurological signs.

Can a detached retina heal on its own?

In some cases, retinal detachment is minor enough that it will heal on its own, in other cases, surgery, laser therapy, or other treatments will be required as well as professional observation to assure that healing is properly progressing. In some cases, it will take months to recover from retinal detachment,…

What causes detached retina symptoms?

Other symptoms include seeing floaters, which are dark, floating shapes or bright, brief flashes of light. There are many causes of detached retinas. Most are caused by a hole or a tear in the retina. As a result of the hole, the eye’s vitreous fluid leaks through and collects behind the retina.

What does a detached retina look like?

Symptoms of progressing retinal detachment include the loss of a portion of peripheral vision (vision to the side). This is often described as seeing a black or purple “curtain” moving in from the top, bottom or side of the visual field. A serious complication of an untreated retinal detachment is the progressive loss of vision in the affected eye.

What is the recovery time after retinal detachment surgery?

With proper care, most patients can return to their normal activities within four weeks of surgery. However, the final results of your surgery will not be visible until months after your procedure. Surgery for retinal detachment is typically an outpatient procedure, allowing you to go home on the same day as your treatment.