IS MY RAT BLIND?

[Mialee]

Hi,

So I rescued two female rats to go with my lone female rat and I think one of them may have gone blind in one eye. She had two dark ruby eyes when I got her but suddenly one of her eyes has gone grey. I have included some photos below - does this need vetinary attention? She doesn’t seem to be in any pain, just confused.

Thanks.

 

[Tazy]

She's such a cutie. that looks like a cataract in the eye. I can't say for sure, but a vet would be better able to diagnose it if you took her in for a check-up. In humans they can remove cataracts using surgery, but I imagine it may be a very costly procedure for rats - if it's done at all. One of my rats developed a cataract in her senior years, but she seemed to adapt quite well and it never appeared to bother her. It would be a good idea to bring her in for a check-up at a rat-knowledgeable vet, and they may be able to diagnose her condition.

 

[lilspaz68]

Age-related cataracts usually start with a small silver disk in the middle of the eye and grow larger and more obvious over time. Injuries such as a scratch to the eye from a recent scuffle can make the whole eye appear opaque and often dry looking. As long as the eye stays moist and doesn't change shape or look like it has something that sticks out or stuck on the surface, it should heal from injury. If the eye starts to bulge out or there's a foul smell you need a vet visit. For now you can use lubricating eye gel/drops if it looks dry, and watch and wait to see how it does.

This is an early cataract in a 26 mo old girl

This was glaucoma (Teppy had to have her eye surgically removed called an enucleation)

And this was an injury

 

[Mialee]

Age-related cataracts usually start with a small silver disk in the middle of the eye and grow larger and more obvious over time. Injuries such as a scratch to the eye from a recent scuffle can make the whole eye appear opaque and often dry looking. As long as the eye stays moist and doesn't change shape or look like it has something that sticks out or stuck on the surface, it should heal from injury. If the eye starts to bulge out or there's a foul smell you need a vet visit. For now you can use lubricating eye gel/drops if it looks dry, and watch and wait to see how it does.

This is an early cataract in a 26 mo old girl

This was glaucoma (Teppy had to have her eye surgically removed called an enucleation)

And this was an injury

Thank you! I visited the vets and they have said that she has cataracts but it isn’t covering her whole eye so she should still have a little bit of sight. It doesn’t bother her so she’s all good. I didn’t know it could get worse though - that’s useful to bare in mind.

 

[SQ]

This may be helpful http://ratguide.com/health/eyes/cataracts.php