Theoretically, early cataracts could be reduced or stabilized by treatment with antioxidants (e.g. grape seed extract). However, the effectiveness of this type of treatment is difficult to measure.

If a cataract is severe enough to cause vision loss or will soon become severe enough, the only treatment is surgical removal. This may be done in one or both eyes depending on the specifics of each patient. Before surgery is performed, special tests beyond the full eye exam will be used to check retinal health in the back of the eye. If these tests are not passed, removal of the cataracts would either not improve vision or may create a significant risk of problems after surgery and the surgery wouldnot be recommended.

Cataract surgery is elective and requires a significant time commitment on your part. Eye drops must be administered several times daily for a few weeks before surgery and for about 6 weeks after surgery. The postoperative checkups are usually performed the day after surgery and then one, three, and six weeks after surgery. These rechecks can be performed by myself or through your regular veterinarian. Usually a long term checkups is made about 4 months after surgery and then once a year. The success rate is 95% but as with any surgery there are risks.

The surgery is performed under general anesthesia and we are proud of our anesthetic protocols and monitoring systems. The anesthetics are state-of-the-art medications that are used in human hospitals and all patients’ pulse rate, oxygen levels, and blood pressure are monitored throughout the surgery by a technician. After surgery we monitor the eye pressure for any pressure spikes and control this (usually temporary) problem with medicine. We make every effort to avoid any complications but as with any surgery in any species these risks do exist.

Depending on the specifics of your pet’s cataracts, age, and cause we perform either a small incision technique (phacoemulsification) or a large incision method (extracapsular cataract extraction). The small incision technique is performed in over 90% of our patients and carries the benefits of shorter surgery and healing times. Often we will remove cataracts in each eye at the same surgery. Phacoemulsification is the same technique performed for human cataract removal; the tiny probe breaks up the cataract with ultrasonic vibration and draws out the cataract particles. Many people believe that cataract removal is done with a laser but that is incorrect!! After removal of the cataract(s) we can replace the lens with an artificial lens. Without an artificial lens a dog will be farsighted (better vision at distances of 3-15 feet) and have approximately 20:120 vision. This means detail recognition for the dogat 20 feet would be what we would see at 120 feet. If a dog is active and enjoys playing fetch and catch games, lens replacement may be of significant value due to the sharper vision that results (20:70). Older dogs that are fairly quiet, may not benefit as much from having an artificial replacement lens.