If you love your dog, read this.

Our dog’s eyesight declines with age in the same way as it does with us humans. The clouding of vision could mainly be attributed to 4 incredibly common and serious conditions being:

Cataract

Conjunctivitis

Dry Eye

Glaucoma

Cataracts are the most common cause and cataract formation is the clouding of the lens. Age related cataract is the most common reason for cataract formation in both humans and canines. The hardening of the lens occurs through a process inevitable in aging called cross-linking or glycation. This is when the body can no longer keep the oxygen, protein and sugar balance in check. The net result will be too much water entering the lens and the lens becomes hard, brittle and opaque rather than soft, flexible and transparent. The obvious result is vision loss.

The development of cataract is very obvious to see in older dogs when their eyes become a blue-gray color instead of white. If you notice a change to your dog’s eyes take your pet to the vet for correct diagnosis, especially as there is a common mistake made by dog owners thinking they can see cataract formation when in fact it is a condition called nuclear sclerosis. This condition does not affect your dog’s eye sight, so it’s best to not jump to incorrect conclusions. Of course as with your eyes, regular, yearly check ups for your eyes is extremely important as are preventive methods such as a good diet and using a super antioxidant eye drop like Can-C.

The common ‘cure’ for cataracts is to have the lens removed surgically. However not all dogs are suitable for surgery, examples being diabetic dogs (especially those that are not well regulated), aggressive dogs, dogs with poor health or simply too old or frail. Dogs do die under surgical conditions, so an alternative non-evasive treatment could be your best choice.

Staying on the subject of elderly dogs, another condition for which they are susceptible is Conjunctivitis or Pink Eye. This is when the tissue surrounding the eyelids and eyeball (the conjunctiva) becomes inflamed. Your dog will probably suffer considerable distress as the redness manifests into the white parts of its eye and begins to release discharge. This condition could be caused by an irritant, minor eye trauma, viral infection, an allergy or a variety of underlying eye diseases.

The quickest route to cure will be the correct diagnosis of the cause of the condition by your vet. A steroidal or antibiotic topical preparation will usually be prescribed to clear up the infection but if the cause is undiscovered it may be a slow process to cure your dog’s condition. Once the conjunctivitis is cleared it would be advisable to use a health-promoting eye lubricant such as Can-C eye drops.

Dry eye is one of the most common, usually improperly diagnosed, eye conditions suffered by humans affecting millions worldwide. In dogs it used to be referred to as keratoconjunctivitis sicca, or KCS, but now they share the same all encompassing term ‘dry eye’. The most frequent way dry eye is described is when you or your dog does not produce enough tears. This author does not agree with this view but that is for another article entirely.

Certain breeds are more likely to suffer with dry eye but common causes include allergies, drug reaction and once again age. If left untreated, this incredibly uncomfortable condition could lead to blindness as the surface of the cornea can becomes increasingly more damaged.

As with conjunctivitis a dog suffering with dry eye usually has a red eye that discharges thick mucus. If your dog has started to squint or is frequently pawing its eyes, get an appointment at the vet.

As with humans, dry eye cannot be cured in your dog. The traditional route will be with artificial tears, antibiotic medications and / or Cyclosporine in cream or liquid form. The treatment will be multiple times daily for the rest of your dog’s life. Using an antioxidant eye drop could assist with dry eye by clearing away the age related debris to give the eye the best environment for optimal eye health. Can-C eye drops have been specifically designed to get to work where needed in the eye. The approved formulation has the correct delivery system to supply the antioxidant N-acetyl-carnosine to the relevant, damaged area. Although dry eye cannot be cured, why not give your or your dog’s eyes the best opportunity to heal themselves.

Glaucoma occurs when the fluid in the eye cannot be drained away into the circulatory system, thus causing fluid pressure within the eye to increase. The optic nerve can become irreversibly damaged if this pressure continues to increase and without treatment your dog may lose its eye. In humans Glaucoma isn’t aggressive and it tends to be a condition which builds up over time, the same is not true in dogs. If you notice any of the following symptoms please act quickly: Redness of the eye, dilated pupils, twitching eyelids, an enlargement of the eye, light sensitivity, color change within the eye, loss of vision, pawing to the eyes and regular head tilting to one side (to alleviate the built up pressure). It could be as little as days for your dog to lose its eye to Glaucoma. The main reason for your dog to stay with the vet 24 hours after cataract surgery is immediate post op glaucoma (yet another risk of canine cataract surgery).


If your dog hasn’t already lost its sight, eye surgery is possible to either diminish the production of fluid or to bypass the blockage. To reduce pressure within the eye prescription medications can help. If your dog’s pupil no longer reacts to light then it has lost its vision and sadly the usual course of action is the removal of the damaged eye to eliminate any infection or pain caused by the disease. Glaucoma in dogs usually results in blindness and should your dog suffer it in one eye, it is commonplace for the other eye to follow suit. If you suspect Glaucoma, act as quickly as possible to buy some time for your precious pooch.

Contacts with Vitamin E to help cure Glaucoma

The following is taken from the Times In India March 25th 2010.

Contact lenses containing vitamin E can keep glaucoma medicine near the eye where it can treat the common disease- almost 100 times longer than possible with current commercial lenses, scientists claim.

In a presentation at the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), researchers described use of vitamin E to develop contact lenses that may deliver more medication for glaucoma and perhaps other diseases to the eye.

Anuj Chauhan, Ph.D., who headed the research team, explained that glaucoma is second only to cataracts as the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in the world. Eye drops that relieve the abnormal build-up of pressure inside the eye that occurs in glaucoma, are a mainstay treatment.
"The problem is within about two to five minutes of putting drops in the eye, tears carry thedrug away and it doesn't reach the targeted tissue," said Chauhan, who is with the University of Florida in Gainesville. "Much of the medicine gets absorbed into the bloodstream, which carries it throughout the body where it could cause side effects. Only about one to five percent of drugs in eye drops actually reach the cornea of the eye."

Chauhan and colleagues have developed a new extended-release delivery approach incorporating vitamin E into contact lenses. The invisible clusters, or aggregates, of vitamin E molecules form what Chauhan describes as "transport barriers" that slow down the elusion of the glaucoma medication from the lens into the eye. The drug released from the lens into the eye stays in the tears far longer than the 2-5 minutes with eye drops, leading to more effective therapy.

"These vitamin structures are like ‘nano-bricks’," Chauhan said. "The drug molecules can't go through the vitamin E. They must go around it. Because the nano-bricks are so much bigger than the drug molecules - we believe about a few hundred times bigger - the molecules get diverted and must travel a longer path. This increases the duration of the drug release from the lenses."

In research with laboratory animals, the lenses containing vitamin E nano-bricks administered drugs up to 100 times longer than most commercial lenses. The lenses could be designed for continuous wear for up to a month, Chauhan said. In addition to treating glaucoma, the contacts could help other eye conditions, such as cataract and dry eye. Cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye, and dry eye involves decreased production of tears.

Are you happy with your understanding of ‘dry eye’? What is it REALLY?

Are you happy with your understanding of ‘dry eye’? What is it REALLY?

If your doctor has just uttered the words ‘you have dry eyes’ it is fair to assume that you haven’t actually been diagnosed. Alas, a correct and thorough diagnosis is a rarity, even though this is the key to successful treatment of any ocular surface disease. The term ‘dry eye’ isn’t a diagnosis at all, it is merely an all- encompassing phrase or term for a variety of ocular surface conditions. These conditions may have many underlying causes. Correctly identifying the conditions and treating them appropriately and in the right order, will offer you the best chance of successful treatment.

As is the growing trend these days, it is advisable to educate yourself via the net before getting professional assistance with your condition. Excuse the analogy but mainstream medicine is blinkered and the ‘professionals’ are a little robotic in their assistance. Once you are confident in your self analysis regarding your conditions, the next step will be to try to find a qualified, open-minded and motivated eye-care professional. Good luck! Ultimately, you will need professional opinion to translate your conditions into finding the underlying causes.

Having spent the time and money at the eye doctors, if you leave with a script for Restasis or Loteman or a sample of Refresh Plus or Systane or with the advice to use a night gel or ointment, there is a good chance you have been misdiagnosed. These products are OK for a temporary dryness fix but they are not treating the cause. It’s like giving a band aid to someone who has just had their arm cut off!

The term Dry Eye or Dry Eye Syndrome (DES) is most commonly used meaning a failure of the lacrimal glands to produce enough moisture. Auto-immune diseases such as Sjögrens Syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis or Lupus have an association with this use of the term, as do certain frequently prescribed medications. But as a cause of dry eye symptoms, the failure of the lacrimal glands to produce enough moisture is actually that frequent. In fact it is estimated that 70% or more of ‘dry eye’ cases are actually people with poor tear quality, not quantity. In most cases those with ‘dry eye’ often have other related conditions such as:

Blepharitis. This is an ocular disease characterized by chronic inflammation of the eyelid margins. Blepharitis may cause redness of the eyes or itching with a gritty sensation.

Meibomian gland dysfunction - which can cause Blepharitis.

Nocturnal lagophthalmos – which is the inability to close the eyelids during sleep.

Recurrent corneal erosions (RCEs)

ABMD - Anterior Basement Membrane Dystrophy

EBMD - Epithelial Basement Membrane Dystrophy

MDFD - Map-Dot-Fingerprint Dystrophy

Ocular rosacea - is a manifestation of rosacea that affects the eyes and eyelids. Symptoms generally consist of redness, irritation or burning of the eyes

Ocular allergies

I would certainly recommend looking into the above conditions to see if any of these could apply to you and then armed with your knowledge; raise your opinions with your eye doctor.

Soothing and lubricating Can-C eye drops give your eye the best possible environment to fight ocular disorders. The super anti-oxidant - n-acetyl-carnosine, clears the way for the eye to begin its self-healing process.

Cloudy Eyes in Dogs

The eyes are covered by a layer of cells called the cornea. The cornea should be transparent to allow light to pass through to the lens beneath, which should also be transparent. I think most people appreciate that should the cornea or the lens become cloudy then vision will of course be affected. What most people do not realise is there are a number of conditions that can cause these complex layers of cells to get cloudy or opaque. Dogs suffer in the same way as we humans when it comes to eye conditions.

One of the most serious causes of cloudy eyes is glaucoma. When fluid accumulates inside the eye it increases the pressure within the eyeball thus impairing your dogs ability to see. Glaucoma may occur naturally or following an eye trauma. Glaucoma can present itself through symptoms such as cloudiness, teariness, dilated pupil(s), or redness in the eye.

As your dog gets older, one of the most common signs of aging occurs. Through the process of cross-linking or glycation the lens hardens and becomes thicker and darker therefore stopping light from getting through. I am of course referring to cataract. For dogs, the eye gets cloudy usually seen as a grey bluish color. Its not just older dogs that suffer with cataracts, it is almost a given that dogs with diabetes will form cataracts.

Cloudiness is also symptomatic of an eye infection and more serious illnesses like cancer or high blood pressure.

If you are concerned about the health of your dogs eyes ensure he/she has a well balanced diet and use the protecting and preventing qualities found in a super anti-oxidant eye drop like Can-C.

If in doubt go see your vet as its better to be safe than sorry.

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Simple steps for great eye health

This may be a pretty obvious thing to state but a healthy diet is good for the entire body including your eyes. We know people often overlook the eyes when thinking of health and fitness but some simple measures could prevent major visual disorders. This could be as simple as eating plenty of fruits and vegetables and avoiding certain risk factors (like smoking). In other words, this is not rocket science, it's the same mantra for overall health that has been with us for decades.

For US citizens over the age of 40 disorders to the eyes such as cataract, age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), dry eye-syndrome (DES), and glaucoma—cost approximately $36 billion annually. ARMD is the leading cause of blindness in people 55 and older and as many as 20% of the population suffer from DES. As always, Can-C.biz are as keen as ever to express our mantra -prevention is better than cure and couple with protection it is possible to preserve vision for a lifetime.

The eyes are directly attached to the brain and as you would hope from the organ responsible for vision, they are hardy. As with other organs in the body, protection against the ravages of free radicals is imperative for good eye health. This is also the case for supporting healthy blood vessels and circulation. The eyes are in the front line for direct damage caused by every day factors such as pollution, radiation, sun exposure and smoking along with factors such as being obese, drinking too much alcohol and a poor nutrient intake. This group of factors all cause free radical damage throughout the entire body including the eyes. Free radicals can contribute to the onset of vision problems such as cataracts, glaucoma and ARMD. Free radical damage to the delicate, vulnerable retinal tissue is permanent and cumulative over a lifetime.

Can-C eye drops contain a super anti-oxidant which is delivered directly into the part of the eye that has been subjected to free radical abuse. They mop up free radicals and work on the 'trash' left behind in order to give the eye the best environment for optimal health. Once the trash is out the way, the eye begins to heal itself. Can-C eye drops ideally would be used to prevent the onset of aging eye disorders along with more obvious preventive measures like wearing sunglasses, avoiding cigarette smoke and pollution, staying fit and reducing weight if you are obese, limiting alcohol intake and eating a healthy diet.

Eating a healthy diet packed full of antioxidants and essential fatty acids is a great way to look after your eyes. There has been much research into the benefits of both and it is evident a diet rich in antioxidants and fish oils is important for eye health. Those who do not eat these foods on a daily basis should consider supplementation. Taking vitamin C, vitamin E, lipoic acid, N-acetyl cysteine and other antioxidants can protect cells from free radical damage. DHA from fish oil accounts for approximately 30 to 35% of the total fatty acids found within the eye. DHA is vital for the development, function and maintenance of the ocular cells.

Important note: Supplementing with lutein and zeaxanthin can help protect the retina from damaging exposure from sunlight BUT if using Can-C eye drops it is not advisable to because they could negate the important effect of the drops. Ingesting natural sources of lutein and zeaxanthin is absolutely fine.

Animal Wellness Article - Preventing Cataracts

Our co-founder recently contributed to Animal Wellness Magazine. If you do not buy or subscribe to this excellent magazine then you are missing out on some very good reading.

Please find an excerpt from the article below.

Preventing Cataracts

Recent studies have shown that nutrition plays and important role in preventing or delaying cataracts. It has been observed that certain natural antioxidants given to older humans and animals (dogs in particular) reduced age related cataracts. It has been generally agreed that the nutritional goals of humans should be shared with our pets.

In humans a high intake of fruit and vegetables has a protective effect on cataract. High intake of sugar and high glycemic carbohydrates increases the risk for cataracts. The Glycemic Index, or GI, refers to how quickly a food causes blood sugar to rise. High GI foods, like white bread, pasta, and potatoes, tend to cause a quick surge or a peak in blood sugar, while low-GI foods, such as pulses and many high-fiber grains, create a more gradual increase in blood sugar.

Those who eat lots of yellow or dark leafy vegetables, as well as foods rich in vitamin E, reduce their risk of developing cataracts. Higher intakes of vitamin C or the combined intake of antioxidants had long-term protective associations against development of cataract.

With this information in mind a recommended dose for pets with cataracts is 50 IU of vitamin E for every 10 pounds of weight once a day – add it to your pet's food. For vitamin C, give 100 mgs twice per day for every 10 pounds of weight. If possible use powdered vitamin C and add it to food. Vitamin C can cause diarrhoea so proceed with caution!

Add vegetables like carrots, kale and other green and yellow vegetables to your pets diet.

Try protecting your pet’s eyes with bilberries. The antioxidant qualities of bilberries protect the tissue of the eye, especially when used in supplement form. In a human study, Italian researchers found that bilberry mixed with vitamin E stopped lens clouding in a large percentage of people with early stage cataracts. Mix 50 mgs in your pet's food every day.

One of the most exciting breakthroughs in recent years has been the development of Can-C eye drops for humans and dogs. These natural, lubricating eye drops contain the super-antioxidant N-acetylcarnosine which has been clinically proven to reverse cataract and prevent cataract formation. Can-C eye drops are a specific formulation which work in the part of the eye where needed to clear away age accumulated damage, thus leaving the eye free to begin self-healing.

Causes of cataract

To some extent, cataracts are evitable in old people. But there are many other factors that contribute to the development of cataracts, such as exposure to intensive UV light or high-energy x-rays, cigarette smoking and tobacco chewing, drugs including steroids, certain diseases including diabetes and so on. Maternal infections caused cataracts and traumatic cataracts are also potential. With proper methods, cataracts in younger individuals can be possibly prevented or slowed.

Congenital cataract occurs at a rate of about 0.03%, 20% of which have a family history of the disease. Age-related cataracts appear in yellowish and grayish colors. A rare case is white cataract in certain patients, which is often associated with posterior sub-capsular cataract (PSC). PSC cataract progresses much faster than age-related nuclear cataract and requires earlier surgical removal. In most cases, the surgical removal of PSC cataracts in two eyes is decoupled.

Thick aphakic contact lenses are much likely to cause corneal infections, resulting in painful ulcer and other symptoms. In this case, patients can switch to intraocular lens implantation for permanent vision correction. But this procedure is only suitable for adults, because the eyes of children continue to grow and develop. Cataract surgery in infants and children involves more risks. Some fragments of the original cataracts may be left during the surgery and a secondary cataract may develop quickly in the posterior capsule in those thriving children. Younger people who have a vitrectomy may get cataract sooner at a higher risk.

Taken from Vision Surgery. Link to article: http://vision.firmoo.com/vision-surgery/cause-and-cost-of-cataract-surgery.html

LASIK and Cataracts

Perhaps unbeknown to most people but the majority of eye surgeries carry the risk of cataracts.LASIK surgery is now a very common procedure. LASIK stands for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis and is a type of refractive surgery for correcting myopia (short or near sighted), hyperopia (far or longsightedness) and astigmatism, which is an optical defect in which vision is blurred. Reports of cataracts shortly after LASIK, even in relatively young patients, strongly links the procedure to the after-effect. To add insult to injury, it has also been suggested that the LASIK after-care of prescribed steroidal drops, may also hasten the onset of cataracts.

For those people with signs of cataracts before LASIK surgery, should not go ahead with LASIK because vision may be corrected with the intraocular lens used for cataract surgery. Ironically, after LASIK the altered corneal surface causes inaccurate measurement of the intraocular lens power for cataract surgery. Therefore, those who have LASIK and go on to develop cataracts, may well have to return to using glasses again after their cataract surgery, thus rendering the LASIK surgery as a completely pointless procedure. Other more unfortunate patients, post- LASIK and cataract surgery, could furthermore be subjected to additional multiple surgeries.

You have to ask yourself, do I really need LASIK surgery?

Why did you buy the drops?

How many of our customers are using the eye drops for cataracts? How many are using the drops for other eye conditions and, what are those conditions? How many of you are buying the drops for a pet? Who is using the drops to promote overall good eye health with the aim to reduce the risk of suffering the inevitable usual aging eye complaints, syndromes, conditions or diseases?

We want to hear from you. We want to know why you bought the drops and how you are doing with them.

Have your say.

email us at info@can-c.biz

SSRI's and Cataracts?

As reported in Eye Care News yesterday, researchers at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and McGill University have discovered that some anti-depressant drugs are associated with an increased risk of developing cataracts.

The study, based on a database of more than 200,000 Quebec residents aged 65 and older, showed statistical relationships between a diagnosis of cataracts or cataract surgery and the class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs, as they are commonly known. The most well known SSRI is Prozac.

The researchers say that these drugs do not cause cataract formation but there is an association between these drugs and the development of cataract. This is the first study to establish this link.

Researchers found patients taking SSRIs were 15% more likely to be diagnosed with cataracts or to have cataract surgery.

The study did not take into consideration one of the main risk factors of cataract formation - smoking.

The study has been published online in the journal Ophthalmology.

What to expect after Cataract Surgery

In spite of the fact that cataract surgery is the most commonly performed surgery in the world, it is certainly not free from post surgery issues. The fact that 95% are successful still leaves a considerable amount of people in the unfortunate 5% . Out of those 'successful' operations 50% of patients will require further treatment, usually within 2 years.

Post op cataract surgery will require most patients to take antibiotic eye drops to avoid infection and steroid drops will be prescribed to minimize inflammation.

It is common for people to complain of floaters post op but the op itself does not cause the floaters as they were already there. The cataract was blocking the view of the floaters and therefore once the cataract is removed, the floaters can become evident. It is possible to surgically remove floaters but this author would recommend otherwise. For a very minor irritation, is surgery really worth the risk?

More serious than floaters, post op light flashes could be indicative of retinal detachment and retinal tear.

In certain cases, cataract patients should receive prior medical clearance from their medical doctors before surgery because cataract surgery can be associated with serious conditions such as stroke or heart problems.

The presence of glaucoma will not affect the success of cataract surgery and the surgery will not help with glaucoma.

I think most people understand that untreated cataracts can lead to blindness. Most cataracts develop slowly, but trauma (including LASIK surgery) can significantly speed up cataract progress. It is fair to say that the more mature the cataract, the more complicated the surgery could be and the greater the risk of post op complications. If you suspect you have cataracts, have it checked out sooner rather than later. Better still, use a super-antioxidant eye drop like Can-C to help prevent cataract formation in the first place.

HRT + Alcohol Increases Women's Cataract Risk

As reported in the March issue of the journal Ophthalmology, approximately 30,000 post-menopausal women have been studied over an 8 year period in Sweden. Those who were using or had used HRT had significantly higher rates of cataract removal, compared with women who had never used HRT and Alcohol consumption seemed to increase the harmful effects associated with HRT (please see the information on natural triple estrogen - Esnatri at AntiagingCentral.com).

The study was led by Birgitta E. Lindblad, MD, Sundsvall Hospital, Sundsvall, Sweden who said "If future studies confirm the associations we found, increased risk for cataract removal should be added to the list of potential negative HRT outcomes,".

During 1997 and 2005 over 4000 cataract removal surgeries were performed. For those who had HRT in the past there were14% more surgeries and 18% more for those currently on HRT, compared with women who never used HRT. Also, the longer duration of HRT use correlated with increased risk.

Current HRT users who drink more than 1 alcoholic drink per day had a 42% increased risk compared with women who used neither HRT nor alcohol. Surprisingly, smoking status did not significantly affect risk. Data were adjusted for exposure to external estrogens such as birth control pills, as well as reproductive and other health factors.

Dr. Lindblad explained that "Cataract is more prevalent in postmenopausal women than in men at similar ages; this implies that hormonal differences are involved and suggests a possible role for estrogen," . She described how HRT may act to promote cataracts and also compared her project's findings with earlier studies.

Estrogen receptors have been detected in the eye's lens, the area that becomes cloudy and inflexible when a cataract develops. Naturally occurring estrogen appears to protect the eye from cataract, along with guarding cardiovascular and other body systems before menopause. Estrogens like those used in HRT do not function the same way. For example, HRT increases C-reactive protein levels, associated with cataract development in other studies. Dr. Lindblad's study also describes how alcohol and HRT may interact to raise estradiol levels, which appears to affect cataract risk.

Results of the Swedish study may have been impacted by factors unique to this population: for example, nearly all participating women shared the same ethnicity, and all had equal access to care. The study did not identify type of HRT, type of cataract, or measure exposure to excess sunlight (a risk factor for cataract, although unlikely to impact residents of northern Europe).

Taken from DGNews at docguide.com

SOURCE: American Academy of Ophthalmology

Risks of Cataract Surgery

At Can-C.biz we are not against Cataract Surgery. We are not against anything that will help you with better vision. We believe that Can-C eye drops fill in the gaps where conventional medicine falls down. The eye drops are for optimal eye health, they are for protection against future problems or fighting existing issues. We believe that anyone from age 40 should be using the drops to help prevent the many eye conditions that occur as we age. Our mantra is prevention is better than cure but if you need a cure then surgery should not be your only choice. Cataract surgery is the most common surgery in the world and in the US has a 95% success rate but as with all surgery it comes with risks and complications that usually happen after the surgery is performed.

The following information has been taken from a press release from PR Log.

Retinal detachment
It is a condition when fluid leak through a tear in the retina, causing its detachment from the back of the eye. Those who experience retinal detachment after surgery, will see flashes of light or dark spots. In this case, an immediate examination should be conducted to have necessary treatment.

Posterior Capsule Opacity (PCO)
Vision of a patient with PCO is cloudy or blurry after cataract surgery. A PCO is actually a hazy membrane (capsule) behind the artificial intraocular lens (IOL) that was placed during your cataract surgery to replace the natural lens. A YAG laser is usually used to treat PCO and it is done by : dilating eye drops, hazy posterior capsule removal and anti-inflammatory eye drops.

Dislocated intraocular lenses
Another cataract surgery risks and complications is mal-positioned or dislocated intraocular lenses that causes double vision and if the intraocular lens becomes very badly dislocated, your visual sharpness will decrease substantially. Patient with this condition must have immediate action and it is possible to follow a second procedure.

Cystoid macula edema
This complication occurs because of swelling in the layer of nerve cells that covers the retina. Patient must contact eye doctor immediately if this condition occurs. An anti-inflammatory eye drops or injections of steroids to the back of the eye can treat this problem.

Dislocated lens material
Although it is rare occurrence, fragments of the lenses can sometimes have fallen into the cavity behind the membrane that surrounds the lens. In this case virectomy procedure can eliminate particles and reduce the swelling.

Endophthalmitus
An infection that occur inside the eye after surgery that cause pain, swelling, redness and sensitivity to light. Eye doctor usually uses antibiotic eye drops to treat this condition and infection will heal eventually.

Choroidal hemorrhage
A web of fine blood vessels (choroids) may bleed during surgery. Choroidal hemorrhage usually happens in patients who suffers hypertension or glaucoma. When a hemorrhage happens in a small area patients may only have small risk of visual loss but if the hemorrhage is severe, a serious risk of visual loss may occur.

Can-C.biz sell the super-antioxidant Can-C eye drops for optimal eye health.

Cataracts in Cats

At Can-C.biz half of our customers are buying the drops for their pets, which came as quite a surprise as we assumed that the figure was perhaps closer to 20%. Another assumption has recently been thwarted, not all of these pets are dogs, but cats as well.

Cataract problems are relatively rare in cats and are usually related to complications from diabetes. As with dogs, some breeds are predisposed to developing cataracts such as: Birmans, Himalayans, Persians and British Shorthairs. The good news being that the incidence is low and the cataract tends to remain small, often small enough to not be considered for surgery.

As with all cataracts it is better to catch the problem early. Mature cataracts are thicker and harder to remove with surgery and the more mature the cataract the more complications occur under the knife. We offer the same advice to people as we do to their pets - if you can see or suspect a change to the eye, seek the opinion of a medical professional.

If you notice a distinct disparity in eye clarity, increased opacity, cloudiness or a change in pupil size, go see your vet or veterinary ophthalmologist, as these changes indicate a problem.

Diabetes is certainly the most common cause of cataracts in cats. The inflammatory disease uveitis is the second most common cause of feline cataract. Should your cat's eye color change or the surface of the eye become roughened and if the pupil becomes smaller, your cat probably has uveitis. Causes of this painful condition are the feline leukemia virus, feline infectious peritonitis, toxoplasmosis, or feline immunodeficiency virus. Early treatment of the cause can prevent a cataract forming or reduce the effect of one that has already formed.

Like most dogs, cats love to be outside but unfortunately this puts them in harms reach and trauma to the eye is another cause of cataracts. If the outer layer of the lens is damaged your veterinarian may recommend removing the lens because damaged lenses often develop cancer in cats.

The most likely reasons for surgery would be a puncture to the eye lens or larger congenital cataracts. But as uveitis already causes inflammation to the eye, surgery can just lead to more inflammation, complications and pain.

The pre-op analysis, surgery and post-surgery checkups can cost from $1,500 to $3,000 plus the necessary post-op medication. At this time of limited financial resources, I think we are realizing why some cat owners are choosing the eye drops as an alternative option for their pet.