If your dog appears to have a cloudy-looking substance in their eye, they may have a cataract. In many cases, the cataract will progressively take over more of your dog’s eye until they go completely blind. It is important to contact your veterinarian immediately to learn more about your dog’s cataract and how it can be treated.
What is a cataract?
A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye that creates a grayish blue or white discoloration. Inside the eye is a structure called the lens. When light enters the eye, the lens focuses the light on the back of the retina. When a cataract forms, the lens becomes opaque.
As a cataract progresses, the eye’s natural transparency becomes more opaque, which can ultimately result in blindness. A mature cataract looks like a white disk behind your dog’s iris. The part of the eye that usually looks black will now look white.
Symptoms of canine cataracts
In addition to being able to see cloudy spots in your dog’s eyes, there are several other symptoms for cataracts that dogs commonly exhibit:
- Vision loss
- Clumsiness, bumping into walls and furniture
- Hesitancy around stairs
- Trouble locating toys, food and water bowls, etc.
- Walking with nose to the ground
- Barking at inanimate objects
- Changes in blinking patterns
- Increased stress and disorientation, especially at night or in dim lighting
In addition to vision loss, chronic cataracts can cause excruciatingly painful, unmanageable secondary issues within the eye. These secondary complications may require enucleation, or surgical removal of the eye. These secondary issues include lens-induced uveitis, glaucoma (increased intraocular pressures), and lens luxation (dislocation of the lens). Cataracts can also cause retinal detachment, which can result in blindness.
