My cat's pupils stay wide in bright light. Is he going blind?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Small or constricted pupils may be a sign of uveitis, which means inflammation in the front chamber of the eye. This can be due to infectious causes (bacterial/viral/fungal), high blood pressure, immune-mediated diseases or trauma, among other things. Cats with uveitis are often painful, however, and will show squinting of the eyes, will be sensitive to light, are often hiding, etc. It is possible that he has no ocular issues, and that you have just never observed his pupils in a dark room (this is very hard to do!). You can test if he can see by gently motioning toward his eyes with your hand (called a menace response) to see if he blinks. If he is squinting his eyes, has abnormal discharge (yellow/green, thick/mucoid), or very red conjunctiva, I recommend bringing him to your veterinarian to be evaluated. I hope this is helpful!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Dilated pupils are a sign of increased sympathetic tone, which can be due to stress or fear. I recommend trying to shine a light in Jimbob's eyes to see if the pupil's constrict appropriately. If so, I would not be concerned. If you are concerned that Jimbob may not be able to see, I would have him evaluated by a veterinarian. I hope this is helpful!

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This doesn't sound normal to me and good thinking with the at home vision tests. There may be something abnormal going on with his vision that should be checked out with an eye exam at your veterinarian's office. There, your vet should be able to tell you what the issues with his eyesight may be. I hope this helps!

The main thing I would be worried about and cats that have persistently dilated pupils are issues with the right now which is the covering on the back of the eye. Middle-aged to older cats can develop high blood pressure as well as kidney issues that can cause the retina to be damaged, leading to blindness and persistently dilated pupils. I would recommend having your veterinarian examine Athenais's eyes to make sure everything's normal and there's no underlying disease that needs to be addressed.

Hi there. Just walking into things and blindness that comes and goes seems a bit odd to me. I think perhaps I would call a specialist if this continues. If he has inappropriate pupillary response to light as you've mentioned there may be something else going on neurologically that does not always present at the time of the exam for the veterinarian performing them. A consult with a neurologist could help you quite a bit, and they may be able to localize the lesion specifically. I hope this helps! My best to you and Leo!

He may be having vision problems, high blood pressure or might have had a seizure. If his pupils are wide open, please take him to an out of hours or emergency veterinarian now. He may have high blood pressure and fast intervention can reverse any blindness caused by this. If his pupils are normal and react normally, take him to a vet tomorrow for an exam.

Yes, it is possible but not likely. I have only seen this a few times and the cats I saw never regained their eyesight. I suggest you have him examined by a veterinary eye specialist. ( https://upstatevet.com/service/emergency-critical-care/ )