Cat eye problem! Please read it. I'm very scared

[Dheeksha]

Last month my cat has gotten into a fight with another cat. He had an eye injury. Vet told me it was a corneal ulcer and it will heal slowly and gave me oflox antibiotic eye drops. He was doing good. It got healed except a small light shade of grey spot on his eye. He completely opened his eye and fine till yesterday. But i don't know what happened his eye lids became little pink in the morning. I checked his cornea it's fine. And he started to shut his eye again from today afternoon. So I checked his cornea.. It was good but his eyelids were pink and little swollen. So I gave him those eyedrops again in the evening and kept him in his bed. He slept for 2 1/2 hours and woke up. He looked very uncomfortable and hiding his face. So I tried to open his eyes.. His third eyelid has completely closed the eyeball. His eyeball is not even visible. He is not able to open it. After an hour it has swollen a lot. And he is not even able to close his eye now. His third eyelid is totally swollen covering the complete eyeball. He ate normally though. I called the vet.. He told me to administer the eyedrops every 2 hours and bring him tomorrow morning immediately. I just can't understand he was good and I thought he was healed what happened now. I'm scared to death. Does anyone know what is it?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. He may have somehow re-injured his eye. Too much cleaning or scratching at it, for example. I have no idea what might be going on, but glad you called the vet and will at least see them tomorrow first thing. If it gets any worse between now and then - or, he stops eating or starts hiding - make sure you have an emergency contact from your vet that you can take him to. I don't mean to add to your worries, just saying to be ready to take him somewhere before tomorrow morning should the need arise.

 

[Dheeksha]

Hi. He may have somehow re-injured his eye. Too much cleaning or scratching at it, for example. I have no idea what might be going on, but glad you called the vet and will at least see them tomorrow first thing. If it gets any worse between now and then - or, he stops eating or starts hiding - make sure you have an emergency contact from your vet that you can take him to. I don't mean to add to your worries, just saying to be ready to take him somewhere before tomorrow morning should the need arise.

I checked his eye. There were no scratches on cornea. But his eyelids were pink and he's shutting his eye. I gave him his eyedrops. It's been a month. So I opened a new one this time. Did it show any reaction to his already troubled eye? I'm not getting it. He slept after I gave him the drops. I observed he was not like every time. He felt uncomfortable but I put him in the bed and he slept. After 2 1/ 2 hours when he woke up his eyelids are swollen.

 

[Antonio65]

It is possible that there is no visible scratch on the eye surface, but the very thin layer covering the outermost side of the eye may be damaged.
This kind of damage can only be detected by a vet or an ophthalmologist using special eye drops that change color in case of a lesion.
Many years ago, Tom, an outdoor cat who was hanging around in my yard, showed similar issues, probably following a fight with another cat. His eyes was red and swollen, he couldn't even open it, and was clearly in pain and distress.
The ophthalmologist was able to fix the problem by using a tool that kind of "milled" the eye surface to remove the damaged very thin layer and have the eye regenerate it.
Tom was fine within two weeks.

 

[Dheeksha]

It is possible that there is no visible scratch on the eye surface, but the very thin layer covering the outermost side of the eye may be damaged.
This kind of damage can only be detected by a vet or an ophthalmologist using special eye drops that change color in case of a lesion.
Many years ago, Tom, an outdoor cat who was hanging around in my yard, showed similar issues, probably following a fight with another cat. His eyes was red and swollen, he couldn't even open it, and was clearly in pain and distress.
The ophthalmologist was able to fix the problem by using a tool that kind of "milled" the eye surface to remove the damaged very thin layer and have the eye regenerate it.
Tom was fine within two weeks.

I feel like he got allergic reaction due to the eyedrops. Because he was fine until then.. His face was swollen after I gave him the eyedrops. he will be alright no? Please tell me

 

[FeebysOwner]

How long was he on the eyedrops before this? You said he was doing fine after having them initially. So, while it would seem unlikely that the eyedrops caused an allergic reaction, especially when they worked before, nothing is impossible. Did you get an after hours vet to call so you could ask them?

 

[Dheeksha]

How long was he on the eyedrops before this? You said he was doing fine after having them initially. So, while it would seem unlikely that the eyedrops caused an allergic reaction, especially when they worked before, nothing is impossible. Did you get an after hours vet to call so you could ask them?

I opened a new bottle today. It's been a month I'm using the previous one. So I had thrown it way and used the new one today. He behaved different when I gave him the eyedrops. He felt uncomfortable and slept immediately. His third eyelid is swollen after he woke up. Now there is a bump on the side of his cheek near his eye. So may be it's due to the allergic reaction of the eye drops.
It's now 6 am at my place. The clinic will be opened after 9 am.

 

[FeebysOwner]

So, perhaps there is something wrong with this new bottle. If you have no one to call and consult with, I guess if it were me, I wouldn't give him any more drops. You really have to decide what is best to do, no one here can do that for you - I wish we could.

 

[Dheeksha]

So, perhaps there is something wrong with this new bottle. If you have no one to call and consult with, I guess if it were me, I wouldn't give him any more drops. You really have to decide what is best to do, no one here can do that for you - I wish we could.

I didn't give him the drops. What I want to ask is if it's due to allergy then there will be no problem to his vision no?
There won't be any emergency vets in my country. No doctor is available right now.

 

[Jcatbird]

Aww. I am so sorry kitty had a problem. You mentioned that you first used the bottle a month later. Any chance it ever touched his eye during the first round when you used it? I am not a vet but It’s not uncommon for germs to lodge on the top and it’s just possible kitty has conjunctivitis or pink eye. The fresh bottle may or may not be okay or he may need a different medicine. Pink eye is very uncomfortable. The drops may have sting too. As mentioned by FeebysOwner if you see worsening or other symptoms that cause concern, give a call to the vet. Please do keep us updated.

 

[Jcatbird]

We crossed posts. As stated, I am not a vet but as far as I know, an allergy won’t be permanent.

 

[Dheeksha]

Aww. I am so sorry kitty had a problem. You mentioned that you first used the bottle a month later. Any chance it ever touched his eye during the first round when you used it? I am not a vet but It’s not uncommon for germs to lodge on the top and it’s just possible kitty has conjunctivitis or pink eye. The fresh bottle may or may not be okay or he may need a different medicine. Pink eye is very uncomfortable. The drops may have sting too. As mentioned by FeebysOwner if you see worsening or other symptoms that cause concern, give a call to the vet. Please do keep us updated.

Yeah I have the same feeling too. I want to know there won't be any problem to his cornea no if it's due to allergy?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Good point about the old bottle and it touching his eye - when did you last use that bottle? If not that, there is no way to know that for sure. If it truly is an allergy, you would think it wouldn't cause permanent issues, but that is merely my layperson's guess. Until the vet can examine his eye, you cannot possibly know for sure because you don't really know what is going on. Take the bottle with you for the vet to look at. As I said before, there could be something wrong with this new bottle since he did OK with the first one - or, if you used the old bottle yesterday and the tip was contaminated, it could have caused a reaction. It could also be from a build up in his system if he were to be allergic.

How is he doing otherwise now? OK?

 

[Dheeksha]

Good point about the old bottle and it touching his eye - when did you last use that bottle? If not that, there is no way to know that for sure. If it truly is an allergy, you would think it wouldn't cause permanent issues, but that is merely my layperson's guess. Until the vet can examine his eye, you cannot possibly know for sure because you don't really know what is going on. Take the bottle with you for the vet to look at. As I said before, there could be something wrong with this new bottle since he did OK with the first one - or, if you used the old bottle yesterday and the tip was contaminated, it could have caused a reaction. It could also be from a build up in his system if he were to be allergic.

How is he doing otherwise now? OK?

I used the previous one two days before. He was totally fine the last two days. So I thought of not giving him the eyedrops anymore. But his eyelids were little pink yesterday and he shut his eye again in the afternoon. I gave the drops to him in the evening at 4 pm. By 6:30 his eyes were swollen.
He's acting normally.. Asking for food but he's continuously trying to rub his eyes. I'm stopping him from doing so. There's no discharge or anything but his eyeball is covered with the skin. I guess it's the third eye lid and it's swollen. There's a small bump on his cheek bone near his eye. It looks terrible.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Poor baby! You sound like you are doing a great job with him until you can get him back to the vet! It is also great that he is eating and acting normally. If you have a cone, you might consider putting it on him if you can't watch him all the time. They are no fun, but better than letting him bug it when you aren't able to watch him. Hang in there!

 

[Jcatbird]

We really can’t know for sure. I wish we could but it kind of does sound like what we have described. If the eyelids were pink after using the first bottle, there is a chance it was contaminated and the conjunctivitis (pink eye) had already started. Those drops may not help that at all or even irritate it more. Pink eye makes your eye feel like it has sand in it, it kind of burns and is just generally uncomfortable. A new kind of medicine may be needed. If you get a new ointment or drops, be careful not to touch the tip of the applicator directly to his eye so it won’t get contaminated. It’s a little tricky but it will make him feel better if that’s what is going on. Eating and drinking and otherwise acting okay is a good sign. Just keep reassuring him and keep loving him. I’ve had a kitty with a scratched eye too and I know we worry but cats are very tough. My kitty recovered and I’m sure your kitty will too after getting such loving care from you.

 

[stephanietx]

Do you have any plain Claritin (loratadine) at home? You could give him 1/2 tablet smashed in wet food to help with the allergic response.

 

[Antonio65]

Some eye drops don't last long after being opened, check the label and see if it states anything in regard.
Or, the eye drops the vet gave you might not be the right ones for the issue being, or somethinge else has built up in your cat's eye in the last days.
Or, as I have written in my previous post, your kitty's eye is encountering a progression in the lesion, probably due to the lesion itself that is healing.
I also remember that the ophthalmologist that saw my cat Tom did another thing that helped a lot. She drew some blood from him, and with a process of centrifugation she separated the cells from the serum, and she told me to use a drop of that serum twice a day in his eye to help the lesion heal. It stings like fire, but it's something absolutely helpful.

 

[Dheeksha]

I took him to the vet yesterday. He said my cat has rubbed his eye roughly because he got itching sensation after I gave him the eyedrops that day. His eye got irritated badly and swollen. He said if he rubs like that again there will be only 50-50 chances to save his eye. He told me to put an e-collar and don't remove it till the wound heals. He gave him some shots and changed the eye drops. Gave two sets of eye drops..one for conjunctivitis and another for dry eyes. Both should be administered 5 times a day. And an Oral antibiotic medicine two times a day. He opened his eye now but his face is little swollen and pink near the eye. I thought he was sleeping under the blanket that day. If I have seen it I could have stopped him from doing so. This wouldn't have happened. I'm not removing the e-collar now. I kept his bed in a crate and locked him up inside. My boy, he never liked crate and collar. He's little upset.

 

[Dheeksha]

Some eye drops don't last long after being opened, check the label and see if it states anything in regard.
Or, the eye drops the vet gave you might not be the right ones for the issue being, or somethinge else has built up in your cat's eye in the last days.
Or, as I have written in my previous post, your kitty's eye is encountering a progression in the lesion, probably due to the lesion itself that is healing.
I also remember that the ophthalmologist that saw my cat Tom did another thing that helped a lot. She drew some blood from him, and with a process of centrifugation she separated the cells from the serum, and she told me to use a drop of that serum twice a day in his eye to help the lesion heal. It stings like fire, but it's something absolutely helpful.

The vet said nothing about the eyedrops. He gave those eye drops for the corneal ulcer before. He said the medicine will stop working after a month but nothing will happen because of that. My cat rubbed his eye roughly after I gave him the drops. The outer layer of the cornea got irritated and his eye got swollen because of that. It's terrifying to even hear what he has done to his eye.
You said something about the lesion to heal. Can you please elaborate it in detail. I'm sorry I literally have no idea about it.