As pet owners, we tend to gaze into our pet’s eyes to attempt to understand what they are feeling as well as to boost ourselves emotionally. But we can gain a bit more from doing so than just that.
Changes in your pet’s eyes can be an indicator of changes in their life stage and medical issues.
For example, have you ever noticed a cloudiness in your cat’s or dog’s eyes when you gaze in them? Are they squinting more than normal? Does the area around their eye look red or puffy?
By regularly checking your pet’s eye you can be alerted to issues before they become a serious problem. The good news is sometimes cloudy eyes have a silver lining.
Lenticular Sclerosis in Dogs and Cats
Many people mention their pet’s eyes look cloudy or different during veterinary visits. While people often assume that their pet is developing cataracts, it’s not always the case (especially in cats). While cataracts do happen in pets, there’s a far more common cause of “cloudy eyes” — Lenticular (Nuclear) Sclerosis.
Lenticular sclerosis is a bluish cloudiness of the lens, typically of both eyes, resulting from a normal aging change. 
The condition tends to develop in dogs and cats around 6 to 8 years of age and as they get older it becomes more obvious.
The lens, which is transparent, soft, and flexible, sits behind the pupil. Its shape is changed by the contraction or relaxation of small muscles (ciliary muscles). The changes in shape occur to focus light on the retina (back of the eye) so that pets can focus their vision on nearby or distant objects.
The older components of the lens get compressed within the center of the lens as newer components are formed at the perimeters of the lens, which is a natural process and varies from pet to pet.
This compression leads to an abnormal“hardening” (sclerosis) of the lens, which affects its ability to change shape and allow light through in that particular portion of the lens.
In advanced cases, there may be a deterioration in depth perception and a decrease in near vision, especially in dim lighting.
To the untrained and naked eye (sorry for the pun!) cataracts and lenticular sclerosis look very similar. To know the difference, your pet's eyes will need to be examined by your veterinarian or a veterinary ophthalmologist.
The silver lining is lenticular sclerosis doesn’t require treatment or cause blindness and it has an excellent prognosis.
Helping Your Pet Navigate Decreased Depth Perception
Depth perception helps pets see objects three-dimensionally as well as their size and distance away. When it is decreased by lenticular sclerosis, it affects their ability to judge distance. This can cause them to be hesitant to use stairs, struggle to catch toys, or fall since they misjudge where to step. As you can imagine, this can lead to stress and anxiety.
The good news is there are ways you can help your pet navigate this issue and improve their quality of life.
Keep the Environment Consistent
Keep your home layout consistent to help your pets navigate using memory and their other senses. Don’t move furniture around. Use rugs or mats of different textures to help your pet know which room they are in.
Use Scent and Sound Cues
Enhance the environment with scented markers and noise-making items to help pets locate important objects like food bowls, toys, cat trees, and their beds.
Approach and Play With Your Pet Differently
When you want to pet or touch your dog or cat, add a calm sound or word like "pets" beforehand so they aren't startled when touched. Move your hands slowly so they can track where they are. Avoid reaching over their head and downward for petting (most dogs and cats do not appreciate being patted on the head anyway), but those with vision issues often don't see it coming and get startled. An even better approach is to not reach for them; instead, invite them to come to you for touch.
During play, adjust how quickly you move the toy or where you hold it when presenting it to them. Make tosses easier to catch by keeping the toss low or rolling the toy toward your dog or cat. Play is so important, especially for aging dogs and cats. Don't skip the play, just adjust it as needed to match your pet's physical abilities. They may be less interested in toys, but you could substitute gentle "hands-on" wrestle play with them if they enjoy that.
Provide Calming Aids
As your pet navigates this new way of life, adding calming aids, such as pheromones, supplements, or treats, may help ease their stress and anxiety.
- Calming treats for cats
- Helping your stressed cat
- 3 ways to calm down an anxious dog
- Managing dog anxiety
When It Is 'More Than Meets the Eye'
Even if you suspect that your pet has lenticular sclerosis, it is still important to have them checked by their veterinarian as there are other more serious causes of cloudy eyes.
Here are some other potential causes of cloudy eyes in pets:
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Eye injury
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Eye infections
Note: For more information on these conditions, please read our article, Eye Issues That Cause Blindness in Dogs & Cats.
Protecting your pet’s eyes is important. If you ever notice anything different about them as you are sharing a loving gaze, please have them evaluated by their veterinarian.
