Examining and Medicating the Eyes of a Cat
This
information is not meant to be a substitute for veterinary care. Always follow
the instructions provided by your veterinarian.
In the photographs below, unless otherwise noted, the cat is facing with
his nose pointing to your left.
Variations on these instructions exist.
Some cats will happily sit in your lap or on a table while you medicate their
eyes but many require some form of restraint. See the section on
restraining a cat for some suggestions.
Anatomy of the normal eye
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To hold your cat in your lap to place eye medications, drape your left
forearm across the cat's body to keep him/her in your lap. Hold the head
with your left hand using your left thumb to pull down the lower
eyelid.
Hold the medication in your right hand, balancing the heel of your
right hand on the cat's head.
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To examine the eyes, the head is cupped between both hands with one thumb on
the upper eyelid and the other thumb on the lower eyelid. |
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To see the parts of the eye beneath the upper eyelid, pull the upper
eyelid up with your thumb which will open the eye widely. The white part
of the eye is the sclera. The sclera is normally glistening white and has
small, thin red blood vessels on its surface. Abnormal findings on the sclera include:
- large, engorged blood vessels
- bruises may indicate a local injury or a problem with the clotting
system
- yellow discoloration of the sclera which indicates jaundice.
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If you stretch the lid further you will see a pink tissue which is the
conjunctiva. In health, the conjunctiva are about the same shade of pink
as the gums.
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Abnormal findings on the conjunctiva include:
- pale pink may indicate anemia
- yellow discoloration indicates jaundice
- bruises may indicate a local injury or a problem with the clotting
system
Looking through the pupil, you look through the lens which is clear and
you may see a very bright colorful structure which is the retina. When you
photograph a pet and see "red eyes", you are seeing light shining
off the retina.
The iris can be one of several different colors and some cats have 2
different color irises. Some, but not all cats with blue eyes are
deaf.
Abnormal findings on the iris include:
- ragged edges, although this can occur with aging and is called iris
atrophy
- growths on the iris
- black spots on the iris
- blood spots on the iris
The pupil is the black spot in the center of the eye. Cat pupils are
oval compared to dog pupils that are round. The pupils should be the same
size and should constrict to a slit when a bright light is shined in the
eye. The pupil is a hole in the center of the iris. The lens is behind the
pupil but is not seen when healthy as it is clear.
Abnormal findings in the pupil include:
- blue discoloration of the pupil is a color change in the lens,
indicating cataracts or an aging change called nuclear sclerosis
- different sized pupils which is called anisocoria
- ragged edges, although this can occur with aging
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Use your lower thumb to pull down the lower eye lid. The third eye lid, also called the nictitating membrane,
will protrude over the bottom inner corner of the eye. In the pictures
above, notice that the third eyelid also protrudes when you pull up the
upper eyelid. The 3rd eyelid is usually a pale pink or white color and
has thin blood vessels on its surface. When you pull the lower lid down it
pulls way from the eyeball creating a pouch that is lined by pink
conjunctiva. This pouch is where eye medications are placed.
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Abnormalities of the conjunctiva and 3rd eyelid include:
- yellow discoloration in patients with jaundice
- discharge may accumulate in this pocket
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Eye medications are either drops or ointments. Ointments stay in the eye
longer than drops so are usually applied less often. Your veterinarian
will prescribe specific medications for specific conditions. |
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Cradle the head in one hand, usually the left hand if you are right-handed.
Use the thumb of the hand holding the head to pull down the lower eye lid to create a pouch. Hold the
ointment tube in your right hand, with the tip a few millimeters away from the eye, not touching the eye,
squeeze a small ribbon of ointment into the pouch.
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To distribute the ointment across the eye... |
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...massage the ointment across the surface of the eye with eyelids closed. |
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Eye drops are also placed in the pouch created when you pull down the
lower eyelid. Hold the head and pull down the lower eyelid as described
for placing ointments in the eye. Drop the prescribed number of drops into
the pouch without the tip of the bottle touching the eye. Eye drops disperse across the surface of the eye rapidly and do not need to be rubbed
across the eye by massaging.
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Depending upon the size of the cat's head and your hands, you may rest the
middle finger or heal of the hand holding the bottle or tube on the cat's
head to keep your hand more steady and reduce the risk of poking the cat
in the eye with the bottle or tube.
Washington State University assumes no liability for injury to
you or your pet incurred by following these descriptions or procedures.
Last Edited: Dec 19, 2007 1:24 PM
