Strabismus is easily noticed by pet parents, especially when they occur suddenly due to injury or nerve issues. Strabismus may occur in one of both eyes. When the pet looks straight ahead, the eye or eyes deviate from midline. This can appear that the pet is cross eyed, or the eye or eyes can deviate to the outside as well. In some pets, like Siamese cats, strabismus is often mild and sometimes goes unnoticed until a closer look at the pets eyes is performed. In pets with injury or nerve damage, the deviated eye movement will often be very noticeable and pets may also exhibit dizziness at the same time. In Siamese cats, the eyeballs may deviate inwards towards the nose. This is called medial or convergent strabismus. It gives them their trademark "cross eyed" appearance. The opposite condition, in which the eyeballs deviate outward, away from the nose is called divergent strabismus. This is common in Boston Terriers and is inherited in this breed.
Your veterinarian will begin with a physical examination. This includes examining the eyes. If your veterinarian confirms that strabismus is present, they will the perform diagnostic testing to establish the cause of the strabismus. This may include a sedated ear examination to look for signs of ear disease that could be causing nerve damage as well as CT imaging to visualize if there is anything compressing the nerves that control eye movement. Because there are several causes of strabismus in pets, your veterinarian may need to run other specific tests based on the findings on their physical examination.
The cost of treatment will depend on the underlying cause.
Depending on the underlying cause, some pets can recover fully and have normal eye position after some time. If the condition is genetic, the strabismus will be present for the life of the animal.
Strabismus should be monitored if they occur suddenly and do not resolve with treatment.
Pets affected with the acquired, or inherited, form should not be used in breeding programs.
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