Management of Feline Glaucoma with Surgical Interventions: Some Less Preferred But Beneficial Options

Abstract

Glaucoma is an eye disease which, particularly in cats, cannot always be controlled with medical treatment, and in most cases requires surgical treatment methods. It is a known fact that blindness occurs within 1-30 months even in feline glaucoma patients where intraocular pressure (IOP) is controlled with medical treatment and vision is present. This study comprised 11 eyes with glaucoma, in a total of 10 cats (3 female, 7 male). The selected and performed surgical methods were; cyclocryosurgery in 6 patients, trabeculectomy in 3 and chemical ablation in 1 patient. The patients were re-examined at regular intervals in the post-operative period and changes in intraocular pressure (IOP) and the degree of pain and vision were assessed. Nine cats with vision prior to surgery were assessed on post-operative Day 60 for criteria including; IOP, presence of vision and pain. The blind cat was assessed with respect to IOP and pain. The results of trabeculectomy performed in 3 cats with vision in the pre-operative period were unsuccessful. In the patients that received cyclocryosurgery (6 cases) and chemical ablation (1 case), IOP was controlled and pain eliminated. In conclusion, since we know that feline glaucoma almost always ending with blindness, surgical interventions like cyclocryosurgery and chemical ablation should be considered especially when the IOP can not be controlled with medical therapy.