Expert: Jessica - 5/17/2010

Question
I have 4 3 week old kittens. I'm worried about their eyes. They were matted shut by some kind of yellow puss looking stuff so I whipped them with a warm wash cloth. On each of them one eye is ok. One of the kittens other is gray looking and the other 3, well, to me it looks like they don't even have an eye. Please help me. I am so worried about them.

Answer
Hi Jamie.  Severe eye infections most certainly can cause blindness.  I have even seen kittens who've needed to have their eyes removed because they became so badly infected.  It's very difficult for me to say whether anything is wrong with your kittens' eyes without seeing them, and only a vet could say if they are blind for sure.  But a 3-week-old's eyes naturally look very different from an 8-week-old's.  A three-week-old's eyes will be a milky gray color, but you should be able to see a subtle distinction between the pupil (the dark center part of the eye which will later become black) and the iris (the ring around the center which will later become green, yellow, etc.).  Remember that his sight is still blurry at this young age and won't fully develop for another couple months, so there may not be a strong reaction to movement.

I'm not sure what the appearances of the kittens are that causes them to look like they have no eyes.  If the eyes are all black, they may have a condition called aniridia, where they have no irises.  If the eye sockets are empty, the kittens were probably born with a condition called anophthalmia, meaning they have no eyes.  These kittens will usually survive just fine but should have their eyelids stitched shut to prevent infection.  This can typically be done at neutering, but you should have the kittens see a vet now in order to address the infection issue at hand.

You should use a warm, wet cloth to wipe the kittens' eyes several times a day to make sure the eyes are never sealed shut.  Also, a vet should see at least one of them to prescribe an antibiotic eye ointment to help ensure no permanent eye damage is done.

Best of luck!

Jessica