Eye dilations

by Christine
(Idaho)

I have an elder cat she is 16 she has alway had one that dilates wide open while the other eye dilation is narrow as she gets older this has become constant and she acts confused when she was little I noticed this once in awhile now everyday it's like this

RESPONSE:

When pupils dilate in the short term it can mean excitement or even stress but you say that the eyes vary in their degrees of dilation so this sounds like “Aniscoria” where one pupil constricts and the other dilates. You didn’t mention if your cat is still eating okay or if it’s exhibiting any pain which would also be factors but for now I’ll describe Aniscoria.

Aniscoria can be caused by infections, cancer, inflammation, nervous system problems or eye trauma. Your cat could have suffered a trauma to the head, have optic nerve damage or disorders of the oculomotor nerve. The optic tract could have problems; there may be abnormalities of the iris muscles or even cancer of the eye.

The fact that she’s had this condition for some time, it appears to be getting worse by being so constant now, and she’s acting confused… are all very good reasons to get her to a veterinarian as soon as you can. The vet will perform an eye examination, perhaps a tonometry that measures intraocular pressure in the eye, and probably a full blood count. Also, there may be other tests involved depending upon the initial findings.

The treatment will depend upon the cause but perhaps it’s caught soon enough that anti-inflammatory medication or antibiotics can provide help. I strongly suggest that you don’t wait too long. Aniscoria can be caused by many possible disorders and treatments will vary. If you leave this untreated, a number of conditions that lead to Aniscoria can result in vision loss, blindness, or even worse.

Hopefully the resolution to this issue won't be too difficult, best wishes to you both.

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