ectropion in cats is a disease that can cause anything from mild conjunctivitis to vision loss, and it is important to maintain proper hygiene of the eyes of our cat is essential to avoid future diseases.
There are ocular alterations such as ectropion that are easy to detect during the cleaning routine. Keep reading and discover in this article on our site the characteristics about ectropion in cats, symptoms and treatment.
What is ectropion?
Ectropion is an ocular pathology consisting of the eversion of the upper or lower eyelidoutwards, so the palpebral conjunctiva is exposed. It can occur in part of the eyelid or in its entirety and be unilateral or bilateral.
This condition makes our cats' eyes prone to recurrent infections and dry keratoconjunctivitis since the tear film is not distributed normally. We must differentiate it from entropion, which is characterized by turning the eyelid inward, generating some similar consequences.
Causes of ectropion
Ectropion can be congenital (the cat is born with this defect) or acquiredAcquired ectropion will occur as a result of trauma, chronic inflammation, eyelid surgery, decreased tone of the orbicularis oculi muscle (senile) or paralysis of a cranial nerve.
Image of an ectropion in a dog from www.dierenartsenzodiac.be:
Symptoms of ectropion in cats
Affected animals have a greater conjunctival surface exposed to the external environment. In other cases, it may exacerbate other diseases such as "dry eye", since ectropion can hinder the distribution of the tear film.
This condition can generate clinical signs such as:
- Conjunctivitis of different degrees.
- Epiphora (excessive tearing)
- Keratoconjunctivitis sicca (insufficient tear production and poor quality)
- Eye pain
- Facial hair coloring in the tear area
Diagnosis and treatment of ectropion in cats
Any owner can detect this condition by observing the eye and the symptoms of ectropion that the cat presents. Through a complete ophthalmological examination, the veterinarian will diagnose the ectropion and explain the treatment to be followed.
If it is a mild ectropion, the treatment consists of washing more frequently with physiological saline solution or with an ocular cleaning solution in order to decrease congestion, hydrate and sweep particles from the exposed conjunctiva. In addition, the infection of the conjunctiva will be treated if it exists.
In the case of severe ectropion, the indicated treatment is surgery and consists of correcting the position of the eyelids, leaving the cornea protected. Surgical correction is performed under general anesthesia and the postoperative period is not complicated.
If cat ectropion is left untreated, the patient is more prone to lifelong conjunctivitis, chronic keratoconjunctivitis, and keratoconjunctivitis sicca. In addition, as the cornea is more exposed, it can become inflamed and opaque, leading to loss of vision
Prevention
To prevent ectropion in cats, it is advisable not to use felines that present this pathology congenitally as breeders. Likewise, it will be essential to maintain proper hygiene and he alth of our cats' eyes so that they do not acquire it due to chronic inflammation.
