Eye movements

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lovely2011

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One of my cats almost constantly flutters her eyes back and forth - so quickly that you can't tell unless you look at the whites of her eyes.  She is a long-haired seal point with blue eyes - can I just chalk this up to the nystagmus that Siamese are prone to or does she need to be checked?  She's very aggressive and two vets haven't been able to get their hands on her, so I really don't want to take her in.  I guess this is more curiosity than anything else.
 
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We had a (badly) cross-eyed Siamese, and there was no twitching at all, but that doesn't mean it's not the case in your cat.


Eye Defects (Congenital) in Cats


SIAMESE/ORIENTAL/BALINESE
Congenital strabismus

Esotropia (convergent squint) is seen commonly in the Siamese and Himalayan breeds (and other breeds with this colour pattern), often in association with pendular nystagmus (rapid sideways eye movement). The condition is due to abnormal routing of the optic nerve fibres during embryogenesis (foetal growth), such that an excessively high proportion of optic nerve fibres cross over at the optic chiasm. This leads to reduced medial visual fields, and the resultant squint is thought to be an attempt at functional correction of the visual field deficits. The abnormality is linked to the genes for coat colour; melanin is required for the correct routing of optic nerve fibres from the eye to the brain. It is believed to be a polygenic trait with threshold character.

Kalil, R.E et al (1971) Anomalous retinal pathways in the Siamese cat: an inadequate substrate for normal binocular vision, Science 174:302-305
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lovely2011

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That was what confused me, it seems like it's linked to crossed eyes, and she doesn't have that.  She's always done it, though.
 
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