How long does conjunctivitis take to clear?

[BigBurgers]

About a week ago I woke up an noticed that my cat's eye was a bit watery, and when I picked her up and thought I saw a hair over her eye. She's had a watery eye before due to allergies or minor irritation so I didn't think much of it, but it seemed to get a bit worse over the next couple of days - her eye was more squinty and watery with some discharge. I took her to the vet and the doctor didn't notice any scratches or ulcers on her eye but thought she might have some conjunctivitis, so she wanted to run her on a course of eye drop antibiotics 3x/day for at least 5 days.

It's been 5 days now and she's received the full dose every day (except 2x the day of her vet visit). I feel like I'm noticing some improvement but not much. Her inner-eyelid is still a bit swollen and she still has some discharge, but when she's playing it does seem like her eye is more open, however when she's relaxing or walking around I can tell that it isn't 100% better. Her appetite is great and she's still very active. Do I just need to give it more time, or is another vet visit in order?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I would call and ask the vet if they expected more of a turn around at this time. It may be that the course of antibiotics drops has not been long enough.

There are a ton of possibilities for what might cause conjunctivitis, so if there is still discharge, perhaps the vet should run an analysis of it and see if that sheds any light.

 

[silent meowlook]

What is the name of the eye drop?

 

[BigBurgers]

What is the name of the eye drop?

She's getting Ofloxacin.

 

[silent meowlook]

Okay. That is good. If it is viral, such as herpes virus ( cat kind, not like people kind) antibiotics won’t help.
Have you noticed your cat rubbing the eyes?

 

[BigBurgers]

Have you noticed your cat rubbing the eyes?

Not really. She scratches at her chin a bit and I've seen her groom the area, but I haven't seen her aggressively favoring the area. Perhaps a little bit more early on before she was being treated. I do suspect that my there is an allergen in my apartment that bothers her from time to time which leads to the scratching.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Even if the conjunctivitis is viral related, most vets will prescribe an antibiotic as it can be pretty common for a secondary infection to set in. While the antibiotic will not address the virus, it will help with any secondary infection.

It may be helpful to consider finding out (if you don't already know) if your cat has a viral condition, such as FeLV or FIV, as cases of conjunctivitis can occur with a flare up. Immune support supplements may help to reduce flare ups. Lysine used to be one of the more common ones, but I've seen more cases where DMG seems to be more beneficial.
DMG for Cats: What It Is and How It Can Benefit Your Feline Friend - RedRusa
Vetri DMG™ Liquid for Dogs and Cats - VetriScience