Introduction

Obviously, owners should seek veterinary advice if they suspect that their cat has cataracts. Cats with concurrent uveitis (inflammation of certain interior structures of the eye) can be treated with topical anti-inflammatory medications. However, there is no medical treatment to eliminate cataracts. The only way to “cure” cataracts is to remove them surgically. Short of blindness, cataracts can develop into glaucoma and retinal detachment, at which point surgery may no longer be a viable treatment option. Many owners decide not to treat cataracts because cats commonly adjust quite well to vision impairment.

Treating Cataracts in Cats

Cataracts in very young kittens sometimes spontaneously improve and may not require treatment. Cataracts that have just occurred and have very low opacity (classified as immature, incipient, non-progressive or incomplete) may also require no treatment, other than possibly topical anti-inflammatory eye drops. Cataracts caused by nutritional deficiencies cannot always be treated with supplements, but their progression may be slowed or stopped with appropriate dietary supplementation, which your veterinarian can discuss with you.

The only truly effective treatment for cats with impaired vision due to cataracts is surgical removal of the affected lens. There are several surgical procedures that can be considered, and this surgery is normally performed by a specialized veterinary ophthalmologist. The goals of surgery are to restore the cat’s vision and hopefully prevent the common secondary sequellae of cataracts: uveitis, glaucoma and retinal detachment. The prognosis for surgery is better if it is done early in the course of cataract development. Of course, a veterinarian will want to be sure that the cat is otherwise systemically stable and healthy prior to surgery.

Cataract surgery requires preliminary ophthalmic ultrasound and an electroretinogram to determine whether the posterior part of the eye is normal. If it is, the veterinary ophthalmologist typically will remove the cataract through a procedure called phacoemulsification, which involves ultrasonic fragmentation of the lens itself. This is followed by implantation of an artificial lens to restore the cat’s normal vision. Without this artificial lens, cats will be extremely far-sighted after cataract surgery, with little useful remaining vision. If cataract surgery is not performed, the cataracts should be monitored frequently for progression. If the condition causes total or near-total vision loss (often with accompanying pain), surgical removal of the eye (enucleation) may be advised. Cataract surgery is expensive, and many owners decide that it is unnecessary due to their cat’s ability to acclimate to their environment even with incomplete, or possibly total, vision loss. Cats use their sense of smell for the majority of their navigation skills and actually do not have very good vision to begin with. Cats with decreased or total loss of vision should be kept indoors at all times for their safety and well-being.