How do clinical signs of glaucoma differ in the cat?

• A. More subtle; mydriasis and progressive buphthalmos may be seen
• B. Cats show identical signs to dogs
• C. Cats only show signs when there is blindness
• D. Cats never develop glaucoma

Answer: (A)

In cats, glaucoma tends to produce subtler signs. Cats often hide discomfort, so the eye may not look as painful as in dogs even when pressure is high. When signals do appear, they can include a pupil that stays dilated (mydriasis) and, in long-standing cases, gradual enlargement of the eye (buphthalmos) as the globe stretches under chronically elevated pressure. You might also see corneal edema giving a hazy or blue-tinged cornea and mild conjunctival redness, but overall the presentation is more insidious. This contrasts with dogs, where signs are typically more dramatic, such as obvious redness, squinting, tearing, and a visibly painful, firm eye. It’s not true that glaucoma only shows up after blindness, and cats certainly can develop glaucoma.