TREATMENT OF EYE DISEASES IN PETS

Like in humans, an animal’s eyes are one of its most important sensory organs. The animal’s orientation in the environment and coordination depend on how healthy its eyes are, making them indispensable in everyday life. As owners, it is therefore our duty to take proper care of them and ensure that our pets can enjoy good vision until old age. Preventive tests and examinations that are done in time help avoid insidious cataracts, glaucoma and other diseases.

At Siaurio Šnauceris, we have experienced ophthalmologists and cutting-edge equipment for the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases.

CATARACT SURGERY

Cataracts are a progressive, usually age-related, change in the lens of the eye, causing a clouding of the natural intraocular crystalline lens that focuses the light entering the eye onto the retina and blurring the animal’s vision.

The main cause of cataracts is genetic inheritance. Toy and small breed dogs (Yorkshire Terriers, Pekingese, Chinese Crested Dogs, Spaniels (Cavalier King Charles, Cocker, English Springer), Miniature Pinschers) are more predisposed to developing cataracts, but cataracts can occur in other breeds as well.

Other causes of cataracts can be:

other eye diseases (glaucoma, uveitis);
endocrine diseases (diabetes mellitus);
immune diseases (autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases);
trauma;
metabolic disorders, internal diseases (pancreatic tumours, epatic insufficiency);
age.

We use a process called “phacoemulsification” to remove cataracts. During the procedure, the cloudy masses of the lens are broken up by ultrasound and emulsified through a small incision of ~2 mm at the edge of the cornea. An intraocular lens implant is then placed into the remaining lens capsule. The post-operative recovery period takes about four weeks.

Before surgical treatment, a thorough clinical examination of the animal must be carried out to rule out concomitant diseases or treat them in order to ensure a better and shorter recovery period.

Unfortunately, cataracts cannot be cured with medication or diet. The only treatment option is surgery.