Red Eye Due To Corneal Irritation Or Corneal Ulcer

Treatment of Red Eye, Corneal Ulcers, or Irritations For treatment of red eye, your veterinarian will prescribe an ophthalmic medication, perhaps one with a topical antibiotic. To make it easy for you to tell what’s in your pet’s medication, we’ve developed an eye medication chart listing the active ingredients of more than a dozen different meds. Among the antibiotic eye medications are BNP Triple Antibiotic Ointment (Rx), Terramycin (Rx), and Gentamicin (Rx).

Your veterinarian may also prescribe Atropine Ophthalmic Solution (Rx), which helps in two ways. Atropine dilates the pupil so that fluid can exit the eye through an open canal, keeping eyeball pressure normal; and atropine stops the muscles that control the pupil from opening and closing. Paralyzing the muscles helps prevent pain caused when pupillary muscles spasm. The pupil remains wide open, so protect your pet from sunlight if your veterinarian prescribes atropine.

The newest medical therapy for corneal ulcers is Adequan (Rx) mixed with artificial tears to create a solution that is 5% polysulfated glycosaminoglycans (PSGAG). In a recent test, the solution, applied three times a day, improved nonhealing corneal ulcers in 85% of the pets treated.

Corneal ulcers may be best treated by a veterinary ophthalmologist who will culture the ulcer to choose the correct antibiotic. The ophthalmologist may surgically débride the wound, and sew the eyelids shut to create a healing environment. A tiny catheter can be sewn under the eyelids so that medications can be dripped over the cornea. The catheter is especially useful for pets that have become so sensitive they won’t let you touch their eyes to instill medication. See our sections on instilling eye medication in a dog’s eye or instilling eye medication in a cat’s eye.

Medication to avoid if your pet’s cornea is damaged

Corticosteroids can delay the healing of corneal ulcers. Do not use ophthalmic medications with corticosteroids such as hydrocortisone or dexamethasone unless specifically instructed by your veterinarian to use them. These ophthalmic medications contain corticosteroids and should be avoided: BNP with Hydrocortisone (Rx), Dexamethasone Ophthalmic Solution (Rx), Neo Poly HC Ophthalmic Suspension (Rx), Neo Poly Dex Ophthalmic Suspension (Rx), Prednisolone Sodium Phosphate (Rx), and Prednisolone Acetate Ophthalmic Suspension (Rx).

On the other hand, if your pet has a swollen cornea but no infection and no ulcers, your veterinarian may prescribe corticosteroids to control inflammation. The corticosteroid can be within the ophthalmic medication (such as the medications in the preceding paragraph) or can be systemic-acting steroids, such as Prednisone (Rx).

What happens if the cornea doesn’t heal properly?

With the proper medical care, a healthy cornea heals within a week. If your pet does not receive care, or if your pet lacks the ability to heal, its body will try to heal the cornea by sending blood vessels from the white of the eye to cross the cornea. These vessels grow about 1 mm/day. The cornea may swell, become cloudy, hazy, and somewhat blue-gray. If bacteria invade, they secrete toxins that erode the cornea creating an ulcer. Without attention, the cornea becomes so cloudy and scarred that light cannot travel through it, and your pet becomes blind. An unhealed cornea is also painful.

Blindness in dogs and cats

Blind dog or blind cat: Blindness is not the end of the road for a pet whose major sense organ is its nose. In addition to their noses, pets use whiskers to tell them what’s up close, and ears to tell them what’s in the surrounding area. If your pet becomes blind, keep the house and yard the same as it was; that is, don’t rearrange the furniture because your pet will run into it until it learns where you’ve placed everything. Protect your blind pet from vehicle traffic by keeping it on a leash or in a fenced yard.

The articles here were answered by a variety of pharmacists and veterinarians   Date Category Topic 01/29/10  Eye Care  Eye Problem 06/24/06  Eye Care  Pug 04/20/06  Eye Care  Scratched Eye 02/26/06  Eye Care  Eye Looks Swollen 12/27/05  Eye Care  Green Mucus

 

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