The common conditions that can cause cloudy eyes in dogs are uveitis, cataracts, glaucoma, and nuclear sclerosis. Nuclear sclerosis is the only benign one from the bunch.
I bet you never heard of lipid aqueous before, though.
This weird condition too causes clouded, milky appearance to the eyes.
That day, Georgia’s mom came home from work to find Georgia squinting and barely able to open her eyes. Much of Georgia’s eyes were covered by the third eyelid. How likely would injury be with both eyes affected? Could allergies result in such a severe reaction?
There was no redness or discharge one could see, and Georgia wasn’t fussing with the eyes–just wouldn’t or couldn’t open them. And seeing the third eyelid is scary stuff.
I know the one time Jasmine’s eye suddenly looked as if covered with a blueish film, I freaked and rushed with her to a vet immediately.
Georgia’s mom made an appointment the earliest her vet could get them in. What if Georgia is going blind?
The veterinarian figured it was conjunctivitis, but it wasn’t quite adding up. The vet prescribed eye drops, to give Georgia every 12 hours. Then they should see if that helps. But if it didn’t, it would be time to consult a specialist.
In Jasmine’s case, it was a renegade, eyelash that caused all the trouble. It was growing inward and had to come out before it could cause real damage. However, that was nothing compared to what greeted Georgia’s mom the next morning.
Because they woke up to Georgia’s eyes looking milky white!
Now, Georgia’s mom was terrified. What could make the eyes turn this white? Surely conjunctivitis does not look like this?
Meanwhile, their puzzled veterinarian was concerned as well. Things looked much worse than he’d thought. He contacted a specialist to get an appointment for Georgia as soon as possible.
The specialist indeed did figure out what’s happening with Georgia’s eyes. Georgia had bilateral lipid aqueous.
Georgia wasn’t going blind.–that was a big relief. But what the heck is lipid aqueous?
Lipid aqueous is a high concentration of fat in the fluid between the lens and cornea. It explains all Georgia’s symptoms–the milky appearance, and the squinting, and it does come paired with uveitis. It can cause temporary loss of vision.
Eye inflammation can damage the protective barrier in the eye. When there is a high concentration of fat in the blood at the same time (hyperlipidemia), the fat then is allowed to leak into the eye. It is also possible that a high concentration of fat in the blood in itself can destabilize the barrier.
Could it be as simple as Georgia consuming a fatty meal? Could she have secretly snatched a stick of butter?
Naming the problem is only part of the diagnosis.
The big question is why did this happen?
Conditions that cause hyperlipidemia can be to blame for lipid aqueous too; particularly hypothyroidism or Cushing’s disease.
While awaiting her blood test results, Georgia is getting an aggressive treatment of two types of eye drops. She is getting one type every two hours while a different kind twice a day along with pain medication.
The good news is that the next morning, Georgia’s eyes were already clear as day.
Hopefully, the specialist can figure out what was the underlying cause for Georgia’s milky eyes. If she does have an underlying disease such as Cushing’s or hypothyroidism, they would need to be treated anyway.
Related articles:
Symptoms to Watch for in Your Dog: Cloudy Eyes
Further reading:
Lipid Aquaeous