How to Treat Third Eyelid Protrusion in Cats
Seek and follow the treatment advice of your vet., Give your cat an anti-inflammatory medication., Treat the underlying medical condition., Administer topical epinephrine., Have your vet surgically repair cherry eye., Discuss removal of the third...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Seek and follow the treatment advice of your vet.
Sometimes, a third eyelid protrusion will resolve on its own.In other cases, though, veterinary treatment will be necessary to move the third eyelid back to its normal position.
After examining your cat’s eyes, your vet will come up with a treatment plan, which will likely consist of medication and surgery.
Ask your vet any questions you may have about the recommended treatments, such as how the medications work and how the surgical procedure is performed.
Following the treatment plan will increase the chances of successfully treating the protrusion. -
Step 2: Give your cat an anti-inflammatory medication.
If the protruded third eyelid or tear gland is red and irritated, anti-inflammatory eye drops will be useful.
Steroids are anti-inflammatory.
For cherry eye (protrusion of the third eyelid’s tear gland), a steroid eye drop could relieve the inflammation enough for the tear gland to move back to its normal position.To give your cat eye drops, hold her gently yet firmly in your lap or place her on a sturdy flat surface.
Tilt her head up, open her eyelids up with your non-dominant hand, and put the prescribed number of drops in her eye with your dominant hand.
When you give the eye drops, make sure the bottle tip does not touch her eye.Cats usually do not like getting eye drops.
Consider giving the eye drops close to your cat's mealtime.
Her mealtime will serve as her reward., If a medical condition is causing the third eyelid protrusion, it should be treated as well.
For example, a heavy intestinal worm burden has been associated with Haw syndrome.Your vet would prescribe a dewormer to kill the worms. , Epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, is used to treat Haw syndrome (both third eyelids are protruded).
A few drops of epinephrine will cause the third eyelids to rapidly retract back into their proper positions.
The third eyelids may end up spontaneously retracting in a few weeks or months.However, the administration of eyedrops is rarely done in practice.
This is because the eyelid protrusion is a symptom rather than a syndrome on its own.
The protrusion is not harmful, so most vets prefer to explain the above and either treat the underlying cause or wait for the protrusion to resolve on its own.
A drug called phenylephrine is similar to epinephrine and can be used to treat Haw syndrome.The topical epinephrine or phenylephrine would be applied in the same way as the topical anti-inflammatory.
Follow your vet’s instructions regarding the number of drops to put in the affected eye(s). , If steroid eye drops are not enough to treat cherry eye, your vet will surgically place the protruded tear gland back where it should be.
Surgery is a very effective treatment for cherry eye, with recurrence happening in only 5 ‒ 20% of cases.
The sooner your vet performs surgery after you notice the protrusion, the more successful the surgery will be., If cherry eye surgery is not successful, tear gland removal is another option.
However, tear gland removal will decrease your cat’s tear production, meaning she will have lifelong dry eye.In addition, your cat’s corneas and conjunctiva (inner lining of the eyelids) will develop problems due to dryness. -
Step 3: Treat the underlying medical condition.
-
Step 4: Administer topical epinephrine.
-
Step 5: Have your vet surgically repair cherry eye.
-
Step 6: Discuss removal of the third eyelid’s tear gland.
Detailed Guide
Sometimes, a third eyelid protrusion will resolve on its own.In other cases, though, veterinary treatment will be necessary to move the third eyelid back to its normal position.
After examining your cat’s eyes, your vet will come up with a treatment plan, which will likely consist of medication and surgery.
Ask your vet any questions you may have about the recommended treatments, such as how the medications work and how the surgical procedure is performed.
Following the treatment plan will increase the chances of successfully treating the protrusion.
If the protruded third eyelid or tear gland is red and irritated, anti-inflammatory eye drops will be useful.
Steroids are anti-inflammatory.
For cherry eye (protrusion of the third eyelid’s tear gland), a steroid eye drop could relieve the inflammation enough for the tear gland to move back to its normal position.To give your cat eye drops, hold her gently yet firmly in your lap or place her on a sturdy flat surface.
Tilt her head up, open her eyelids up with your non-dominant hand, and put the prescribed number of drops in her eye with your dominant hand.
When you give the eye drops, make sure the bottle tip does not touch her eye.Cats usually do not like getting eye drops.
Consider giving the eye drops close to your cat's mealtime.
Her mealtime will serve as her reward., If a medical condition is causing the third eyelid protrusion, it should be treated as well.
For example, a heavy intestinal worm burden has been associated with Haw syndrome.Your vet would prescribe a dewormer to kill the worms. , Epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, is used to treat Haw syndrome (both third eyelids are protruded).
A few drops of epinephrine will cause the third eyelids to rapidly retract back into their proper positions.
The third eyelids may end up spontaneously retracting in a few weeks or months.However, the administration of eyedrops is rarely done in practice.
This is because the eyelid protrusion is a symptom rather than a syndrome on its own.
The protrusion is not harmful, so most vets prefer to explain the above and either treat the underlying cause or wait for the protrusion to resolve on its own.
A drug called phenylephrine is similar to epinephrine and can be used to treat Haw syndrome.The topical epinephrine or phenylephrine would be applied in the same way as the topical anti-inflammatory.
Follow your vet’s instructions regarding the number of drops to put in the affected eye(s). , If steroid eye drops are not enough to treat cherry eye, your vet will surgically place the protruded tear gland back where it should be.
Surgery is a very effective treatment for cherry eye, with recurrence happening in only 5 ‒ 20% of cases.
The sooner your vet performs surgery after you notice the protrusion, the more successful the surgery will be., If cherry eye surgery is not successful, tear gland removal is another option.
However, tear gland removal will decrease your cat’s tear production, meaning she will have lifelong dry eye.In addition, your cat’s corneas and conjunctiva (inner lining of the eyelids) will develop problems due to dryness.
About the Author
Daniel Martinez
Experienced content creator specializing in pet care guides and tutorials.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: