Eosinophilic keratitis in cats

Poor Victoria has been diagnosed with an eye condition called eosinophilic keratitis. It apparently only affects cats and horses and the cause is unknown but they think it might be due to the feline herpes virus. I took her to the vet last Saturday after noticing cloudiness in her eyes.

She didn’t seem bothered by it and it was very hard to tell whether there was anything wrong in the first place because cats eyes have lots of different shades anyway. But I felt her eyes were not bright and clear and eyes should be bright and clear. Hers looked dull in places.

The vet was able to see it right away and diagnosed it as eosinophilic keratitis but added it’s a very rare condition that he hasn’t seen for years. Victoria’s case was very mild thankfully and treatable with eye drops. Unfortunately, she’s a terrible patient and hissed and lashed out at the vet. Getting eye drops into her eyes is like riding a unicycle on a tight rope that’s suspended 2m above a pit of hungry lions on meth. Nevertheless, I have managed to get drops into her eyes every day since last Saturday and today her eyes are bright and clear again.

I wish I’d taken a photo on Saturday, the first day, but the first photo I have is from Monday when her eyes were already looking much better. However, you can still see a patch at the very top of one eye in this next photo. The other eye looks suspect too but it’s less noticeable.

Today her eyes look great and I can’t see any sign of the issue. They are bright and shiny.

I’m hoping this is the end of it but it’s likely to come back again throughout her life as it goes into remission and pops up again when they get stressed.

Posted

December 1, 2021

Journal

Rachel M

Tags:

cats, eye, eyes, keratitis, vet

Comments

16 responses to “Eosinophilic keratitis in cats”

Katrina

December 1, 2021

Glad it’s treatable and that she won’t go blind. She’s one sassy cat, though – lol

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Jinjer

December 2, 2021

I’m so glad that drops clear it up easily! Although as you said, putting drops in her eyes is NOT easy. As soon as Marilyn comes in for the night I’ll be inspecting HER eyes. lol

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1. Rachel M
  
  December 5, 2021
  
  I’m sure her eyes are fine. The vet says this condition is very rare.
  
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Denise

December 9, 2021

You did well to see this – I’m not sure I would have noticed in my cat. I don’t think she would have taken well to drops either – double well done.

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1. Rachel M
  
  December 12, 2021
  
  It gets much worse than this and is easily noticeable. If you google the condition you’ll see the eyes can get really gunged up with stuff.
  
  Reply
Alex Nolan

January 23, 2023

My cat has recently had this happen as well, do you use prednisone drops? We went this past week and that’s what was prescribed

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1. Rachel M
  
  January 23, 2023
  
  Yes that’s exactly what I give Victoria and it works really well. She’s accepted it now and doesn’t protest as she did in the beginning. If ever I stop putting the drops in the keratitis comes back so it looks like it’ll be a lifetime thing which is what the vet thought.
  
  Reply
April

March 8, 2025

Hi, My cat have the same problem but the vets in my Town only prescribe chamomille drops, please, could You tell me the name of the prednisone drops?

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1. Rachel M
  
  March 9, 2025
  
  That’s not good. I can’t see how chamomile will work. My cat was prescribed Allergan Pred Forte (prednisone acetate 1%). It was this stuff: https://hyperdrug.co.uk/pred-forte-eye-drops/
  I no longer have to use it as the issue has gone away. I think I used the drops for about a year and then it went away. I still keep an eye on her eyes but it hasn’t returned so far.
  
  Reply
  1. Sabren
    
    December 25, 2025
    
    hi racheal.
    
    i am desperate for your response .my cat has eosinophilc keratitis . He had it six months ago. After many visits to the vets . One of them diagnosed it correctly and gave him pred forte for( the same drop that you applied on your kitty ( a month . His eye healed .but .. today ,the keratitis came back. Yesterday there was nothing wrong with his eye .
    
    i am writing and my heart is filled with sadness because this cat is poor he suffered last time .Now . I bought the drops that you used and intend to use them. But i am worried about the side effects .
    
    how long should i use them before worrying about the side effect?
    
    please help
  2. Rachel M
    
    December 25, 2025
    
    I had to use the drops for a while. I don’t remember exactly but I think it was about 12-18 months. I would stop using it when the eyes became clear again then start again when symptoms returned. Eventually the eyes cleared and the symptoms never returned.
  3. delightfully5035663ce9
    
    December 25, 2025
    
    I deeply thank you for the quick response .
    
    Excuse me for my English because i am not a native speaker .
    
    i want to understand something . Did you use the drops for 12 months continuously?
    
    How long did you use when the diagnosis was firstly made?
    
    when did the keratitis come back to your beloved cat after the first infection and how many times it flared up ?
    
    Please forgive me. i am crying over my poor cat. Doctors wasted my time and money .that is why i ask you these important questions . I wish you long happy life with your beloved
  4. Rachel M
    
    December 25, 2025
    
    I don’t remember exactly now sorry because it was several years ago but I don’t think I used it continuously for 12 months. It was more like a few months initially. Just use it until she’s better then try without. It’s a treatable condition which is a good thing. Give your cat some treats each time you do the drops so she associates them with something good.
Abril

March 9, 2025

Thank You so much! Sadly, the vets in my Town (México south) are focus almost exclusively in dogs, cows and horses. Even worse, cats are not the preferred pet, so, owners do not usually bring them to the vets, and in this case, I am sure is the first time they see this disease.

Thanks You again, i’m sure this drops gonna help my beloved cat. Excuse my mistakes, English is not my native lenguage. Greetings and hugs.

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1. Rachel M
  
  March 10, 2025
  
  You’re welcome! I hope it fixes the issue for your cat.
  
  Reply
delightfully5035663ce9

December 25, 2025

you are an angle.

god bless you.

thanks a lot for responding

it really comfort me . I wish you and your cat happy life with no suffering.

Reply