Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Signs and treatment of low tear production in cats
By Uhl, Lisa K et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2019·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Clinical features of cats with aqueous tear deficiency: a retrospective case series of 10 patients (17 eyes).
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 6-year-old cat with low tear production was brought in for eye problems, including redness and corneal ulcers. The vet found that the cat had a Schirmer tear test score below normal, indicating a lack of tears. Treatment involved various medications, including eye drops and antiviral drugs, but improvements were only temporary for most of the eyes. In some cases, the treatment helped increase tear production, but only a few cats showed lasting improvement. It's important for pet owners to monitor their cats' eye health and seek veterinary care if they notice symptoms like redness or discharge.
People also search for: cat eye problems · low tear production in cats · cat conjunctivitis treatment · corneal ulcers in cats · how to treat cat eye infections
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe the clinical findings, diagnostic test results and response to therapy of cats with Schirmer tear test 1 (STT-1) values below the reference interval. METHODS: The medical records of three institutions were searched for cats with ocular surface disease and STT-1 values <9 mm/min, confirmed at two or more separate visits. RESULTS: Ten cats (17 eyes) were included. The mean ± SD (range) age and STT-1 values in affected eye(s) were 6.1 ± 5.7 (0.2-16) years and 2.4 ± 3.1 (0-8) mm/min, respectively. Concurrent ocular surface disease was bilateral in 5/10 cats. Clinical signs included conjunctivitis (14/17 eyes), corneal ulceration (6/17 eyes), non-ulcerative keratitis (4/17 eyes), symblepharon (4/17 eyes), eosinophilic keratitis (3/17 eyes), corneal sequestrum (3/17 eyes), corneal fibrosis (2/17 eyes) and meibomitis (2/17 eyes). Management included: topically applied lacrimomimetics, antiviral drugs, corticosteroids or immunomodulatory drugs; orally administered famciclovir; or surgical procedures, in various combinations. Response to therapy (defined as an increase in STT-1 value of ⩾5 mm/min) was transient (seen at a single reassessment) in 65% of eyes and sustained (seen at ⩾2 consecutive reassessments) in 18% of eyes. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Clinical features seen in cats with low STT-1 values are described, although the association between aqueous deficiency and the reported ocular changes is unknown at this time. We encourage clinicians to assess the tear film in cats with ocular surface disease, and initiate therapy with lacrimomimetics if STT-1 values are repeatedly below normal. Such information will further define aqueous tear deficiency in cats, providing a better understanding of disease prevalence, pathogenesis and treatment.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30417738/