My senior hamster has a cloudy eye. Is it cataracts? What to do?

From your pictures, it certainly looks like Pumba has a cataract! You should schedule a visit with your veterinarian to see if they can figure out what caused the cataract - as sometimes they can be caused by a systemic disease and other times it can be a problem just isolated to the affected eye. Cataracts are not reversible, so Pumba will have this cataract for the rest of his life. Finding out what caused it will allow your veterinarian to determine if any treatment needs to be done to try and prevent one from forming in the other eye. Thank you for using Pet Coach!

It is hard to tell based on the picture alone what exactly is going on with Meeko’s eye. There is almost certainly inflammation and infection present. Since the drops do not seem to be addressing the problem I would recommend taking Meeko in for a recheck examination. If your hamster has an infection inside the eye (as opposed to the outside/surface of the eye) she may need an oral antibiotic to help her get over it. Other concerns for an eye like this would be a cancer of the eye itself. If this is the case, the eye could be removed and your hamster would do just fine. In any case, I would recommend having a recheck done by a veterinarian that is comfortable seeing hamsters. It’s only been a couple days so don’t worry too much. Hopefully the problem will be addressed at your recheck appointment and hamster will do great. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If you have anymore questions please let us know. Best of luck.

Hi and thanks for your request. Unfortunately it is not possible to provide a specific answer in this case as this would require an ophthalmoscopic examination at your local veterinarian with an direct ophthalmoscope or a slit lamp. Vitreal opacities can often be confused with cataracts.

It's a little difficult to tell in you picture but it looks like there is something in the anterior chamber of Lady's eye between the iris and the clear cornea - this might be inflammatory cells or the iris may be bowed forward. A cataract is an opacity on the lens behind the pupil. Lady's eye definitely looks abnormal and I would worry about her vision in that eye however - I would recommend having a vet examine the eye in person to determine what might need to happen next.

That is likely to be due to a mild to moderate conjunctivitis, probably secondary to a trauma or infection. A check up would be needed as appropriate treatment would include antibiotics and anti-inflammatory eye drops. Corneal injuries must be ruled out as well. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Hello and thank you for using Pet Coach concerning Hershey. I would recommend to flush his eye out with sterile saline. Thus will flush out any bedding or anything stuck in there. If he continues to squint the eye, then I would recommend to take him to the vet to get his eye stained to look for a scratch. Bacterial infections are also possible and treatment is antibacterial eye drops. I hope this helps!

It sounds like your dog may have cataracts, which can occur as dog’s age or with diseases like Diabetes. If this change has occurred suddenly I would recommend having Coco checked out as soon as possible. If it has been a gradual change it is probably less concerning. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.