Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with eyelid hair causing eye irritation
By Reinstein, Shelby L et al.·Published in Veterinary ophthalmology·2011·Department of Clinical Studies, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Successful treatment of distichiasis in a cat using transconjunctival electrocautery.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old male Domestic Short-haired cat was brought in for chronic eye problems, including watery discharge and squinting. The vet found severe inflammation in both eyes and extra eyelashes growing from the eyelids, which were causing irritation. Initial treatment for a suspected viral infection helped a bit, but the cat continued to have serious eye issues for over a year. Finally, the extra eyelashes were surgically removed using a technique called transconjunctival electrocautery, and this completely resolved the cat's symptoms.
People also search for: cat eye problems · cat squinting treatment · distichiasis in cats · cat eye surgery recovery
Abstract
A 2-year-old male castrated Domestic Short-haired cat presented to the Ophthalmology Service at the Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania for evaluation of chronic bilateral ocular discharge and blepharospasm. Initial ophthalmic examination revealed severe conjunctivitis and keratitis and the presence of upper eyelid distichiae bilaterally. Initial therapy for suspected feline herpesviral infection provided moderate, but not complete, resolution of the clinical signs. Over the subsequent year, the cat suffered from recurrent, severe, ulcerative keratitis in both eyes despite appropriate medical therapy. Approximately 13 months after the initial presentation, the distichiae were surgically removed using transconjunctival electrocautery, which resulted in complete resolution of the clinical signs. This report documents bilateral distichiasis in a cat, a condition that is considered rare in this species.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21923836/