2 eye questions: not related...

[momPaws]

1- Honeys eyes are getting cloudy and my vet said that it is not a problem and that she can see fine....so, what causes the cloudiness? (She is 11)

2- can a human get pinkeye from a cat? My daughter's animals had it and tho I didn't directly come into contact with them...my eyes are red, sore and itchy (I have eye Dr. Appt. for Monday)

[Traci]

Mompaws....did your vet check pressure in Honey's eyes, rule out glaucoma, etc? (do you trust his experience in opthamology, or does he often refer clients to an opthalmologist?)

As for pink-eye, you can only get it from sheep, cattle and goats. Are you sure your daughter's cats were diagnosed properly, or were they suffering conjunctivitis as a result of a viral or bacterial infection?

[jdf]

The cloudiness might be Nuclear Sclerosis which is a normal condition as dogs age. I started noticing this with Roxy when she about 14 years old. Our vet said her lenses were hardening and I could see a slightly blue grey cast to her eyes. She had no problem seeing though and she lived to almost 16. This could be confused with cataracts which is a clouding of the lens and the cause of less light entering the eye which in turn causes a loss of vision. Here's a link which explains these conditions (with illustrations)...

http://www.vetmed.iastate.edu/services/ ... aq-vet.asp

[momPaws]

Traci- My dau/'s cats had conjunktivitis, not pink-eye - but I thought they were the same thing. As for me- i think I just had a broken blood vessel as it is clearing up...may still keep eye dr. appt.

jdf- great link...I bet that is what Honey has...the Sclerosis- but here eyes are very mildly couldy, not like in the picture. Good link for reference.

[k9Karen]

The clouding of the eyes affected Leah and Mickey as they aged, and Angel is showing the beginning of this problem. I noticed with both Leah and Mickey that their night vision became impaired as the problem worsened, but other than that, they had no problems. I used to say that Mickey was the only dog I knew that could get lost in his own back yard. If he took a wrong turn on a moonless night, I'd have to go shine a flashlight at him so he could find the door.

As for the conjuctivitis, it depends on the cause. If it was a bacterial infection, it could be passed dog-to-person just like any bacterial infection. As Traci said, I am not aware of any canine viruses that can be passed to humans.

[Traci]

Mompaws, conjunctivitis is simply a term used for inflammation, in your daughter's cats, it was probably a result of an upper respiratory infection, common in kittens and highly transmittable between cats.

Pink eye is an older term used to describe infectious keratoconjunctivitis, which can be caused by bacterial or viral organisms. In sheep, the most common form is chlamydia. In all cattle, sheep and goats with the condition, the cornea actually appears bloodshot, giving the eye the appearance of 'pink-eye'....in dogs and cats, this is uncommon, if the cornea appears bloodshot, there is probably a more serious condition that would warrant a full opthalmic exam.