Cataracts are a common condition in dogs too, and not one that is exclusively linked to advancing age. In such cases, a diagnosis made by a vet following a thorough ophthalmological examination is essential.
Cataracts are a problem that can affect dogs too, and, as in humans, can cause significant visual impairment. All dogs can develop this condition, but there are breeds in which the incidence is higher. In spaniels, for example, as well as in poodles, labradors, golden retrievers, border collies and Australian shepherds, cataracts are a common complaint. The disease is in fact divided into two broad categories: congenital — specific to the breeds listed above — and senile.
In the first case, the condition is generally linked to an hereditary genetic predisposition. Congenital cataracts are very often associated with microphthalmia (a condition characterised by reduced size of the eyeball). The problem usually affects both eyes, though not necessarily simultaneously. Sometimes, however, hereditary cataracts are not apparent at birth but arise in the first months or years of life; in this case the term used is juvenile cataracts. Cataracts that appear after the age of 6–8 years, finally, are described as senile.
Although it is a pathological process less common in dogs than in humans, it nonetheless remains a fairly widespread and debilitating problem. It must not be confused with another condition, nuclear sclerosis, a disorder linked to the physiological ageing of the lens, whose central nucleus tends to become harder and more opaque without, however, causing any real visual problem for the dog. A separate discussion is warranted for metabolic cataracts, the development of which is linked instead to the progression of another underlying disease — most often diabetes.
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An ophthalmological examination of the dog, carried out with specialist instruments by trained veterinarians, is always essential for the diagnosis of cataracts. "The ophthalmological examination is always fundamental, both for the correct diagnosis of the condition and for verifying the proper functioning of the organs responsible for the animal's vision," explains Dr Cristina Muscolo, veterinary surgeon. "Sometimes, in fact, cataracts can mask diseases of the retina or the eye that can only be diagnosed with the appropriate instruments."
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Treatment for cataracts in dogs — as in humans — is surgical. The operation is performed under general anaesthesia, following a careful analysis of any underlying causes, the stage of development of the condition, and the animal's general clinical condition. Prior to the operation, blood tests and specific diagnostic eye examinations appropriate to the case should always be carried out.
In the case of cataracts too, alternative medicine can offer some help — and sometimes prove to be a definitive solution. "Cataracts can be treated by prescribing a phytotherapeutic remedy, that is, an oral plant extract: cineraria t.m. (mother tincture). Rather than preventive, this remedy is curative: in many cases it halts the progression of cataracts, and in others it causes them to clear. The surgical alternative, in veterinary medicine too, is removal of the lens," explains Dr Mauro Dodesini, veterinary surgeon.
Cineraria, in the form of eye drops, is also used in the treatment of cataracts in humans. It is a herbaceous plant belonging to the Asteraceae family, widespread throughout the Mediterranean basin. Its use in medicine has been known since antiquity for treating and resolving numerous complaints, among them "clouding of the eye" — what we know today as cataracts.