Glaucoma and Metacam for Watery Eye

OK so I spoke to my vet on Friday and we decided to continue with metacam for 3 or 4 days to see if it helped Codys watery eye as the vet thought it might be imflamation caused by the Glaucoma. I am very pleased to say that the metacam has stopped the watery eyes. And Cody is in much better form. Unfortunately I can't get to see eye vet and my vet together until 13th April but Cody is ok and in great form right now and now I am pretty certain it was his eyes giving him discomfort . So I am wondering should Cody be on long term metacam daily or would it just be given to him when he shows discomfort / watery eyes?? Just wondering what other glaucoma buns mum's do ??

Bumping up for you, hope someone with experience will reply

Hi :wave:

I have a Glaucoma bunny and the condition can in some cases be complex - for example the condition in my rabbit is caused by free floating eye cysts so the medication can vary for Glaucoma Conditions.

My Rabbit certainly has Metacam on a daily basis to help with any discomfort he may feel from increased eye pressure spikes - he has on occasion also be prescribed various Eye drop medications such as Azopt which is a human drug but is used in rabbits to help reduce eye pressure - although after 12 months of use of Azopt in my particular bunny it was found that it gradually lost its helpful effect. Also prescribed were Visco Tears - we have also tried a number of other alternatives to Visco Tears but they seem to be about the same in terms of effect - although not in price! lol. Visco Tears help with eye lubrication but can be cheaper purchased online rather than from the vet if you need on a long term basis. Similarly with Azopt - if you bunny is eventually put on this I would check out if a Vet prescription is cheaper as my bunny was on it long term and it can be cheaper to obtain from a chemist.

Did your Vet take eye pressure readings? and carry out any other tests such as looking at the back of the eye and cornea condition? - as this helps determine the level of Glaucoma and if Metacam is needed on a longer term basis. My bunny ophthalmic vet advises that rabbits do tend to tolerate higher eye pressures better than other species but obviously this can differ from rabbit to rabbit. Normal Eye pressures in a Rabbit can range from 15 to 20 ish for each eye. I would also watch your vet take the pressure readings carefully - the Tonometer (the hand machine used for readings) generally need to be held horizontal to the rabbit eye - my vet also tends to take several readings as the readings can start high and then drop in levels.

There were several other treatments which when discussed at length with my vet we decided together not to opt for in my bunnies case - such as beta blockers etc to reduce pressure as decided at his grand old age the side effects would be too much for him.

Don't panic though this condition is manageable - my rabbit is turning 11 years old and has had complex Glaucoma for over two years and although he has very little sight now he still enjoys life.

Hope this helps.

As I mentioned Glaucoma conditions can vary from rabbit to rabbit and in my case the condition has not caused any watery eye but that may be due to his complex eye cysts complicating the Glaucoma condition.

Hi Filly gal. Thanks for ur reply . Cody has been on Azopt for about a year now twice a day and his presure is around 25 if I remember correctly from the last eye vet pressure check. 3 drops a day brought the pressure down to 15 and 25 but they were making him sleepy. To be honest I don't see what the eye vet does. My vet takes Cody in to see her for pressure check. I must get them to my be use the dye thing to check for ulcers just in case and ask about the cornea eye condition. How much metacam is ur bun given daily for his glaucoma and what weigh is he ??

HI nickybunny1

RE Azopt - initially it did control his eye pressure but with the progression of the condition the pressures increased and like you with Cody we did notice that he was more lethargic so we decided to trial to see if significant difference without and in Bungo's case there was little or no difference.

That said Bungo's eye pressures are much higher than your luvly bun and over the past 6/8 months are reading around 35 - 40 in each eye - hence he is on metacam for both his eyes and as a twilight years bunny Bungo also arthritis.

Good that they are checking cornea health - there are additional tests using instruments to look at the back of the eye also but your vet may not think it's necessary in Cody's case as the pressure levels appear relatively good in comparison to Bungo.

Bungo is in a high ish dose of Metacam due to his joint and eye condition - but if you have trust in your vet I would be guided by them - Bungo is 3.2 kgs and has 8/10 drops of Metacam twice a day- he has been on this dose for at least two years.

Just an added bit of info for the future - Bungo did have a mild infection in one eye which made it quite sore, both lids and the blood vessels to the upper lid were inflamed and he struggled to keep his eye open - our vet popped a contact lense in and it worked really well and the infection cleared within a week or so - thought might be useful for you to know this is an option to discuss with your vet - this would be done by an opthalmic vet if diagnosis seemed this route beneficial.