Cataract and Ear infection

[MollyBear361]

I took Jill back to vet today because her ear infection still has not cleared. Also, she now has a cataract in her left eye. The ear infection is in her left ear.
I originally thought maybe the infection spread. Vet says no it is a cataract on the lens.
He now gave me Ofloxacin .3% in 10 ml with 6 mg dexasone 3x a day for her ear. He said also put in her eye but nothing he can do for cataract.
I did some reading and saw some squirrels have gotten cataracts from a severe infection. Would he have seen that??? Also read can get from poor diet. My vet will see her but is by no means a squirrel expert. Ive had to guide him in things with my RGS he didnt see that i had read about.
Her diet is stable. She eats 2 HHB a day and Zupreem fruit or veggie blend for large birds another rehabber uses. She gets lots of veggies and few fruit. She does pick. She loves sugar snap peas, kale, cauliflower, butternut squash, mushrooms, and avocado. She does get a few nuts a week so now I am wondering if diet is a factor and I should take all nuts away for awhile and force some extra calcium in her just in case.
Any thoughts? Baby girl turned 3 on Monday. How common is a cataract to just show up so young? Would vet have seen infection in eye?

[HRT4SQRLS]

Cataracts can also be caused by steroid use. I wonder if the steroid in the ear drops caused the cataract. :dono Most ear drops have an antibiotic, anti fungal and anti-inflammatory (steroid). It's interesting that it's on the 'bad ear' side and developed during treatment of the ear. :thinking

Of course, that's just one of many causes... including, genetic, injury, infection, aging, etc.



Here's a little info I copied.
Corticosteroids are of course used extensively for the treatment of localized and systemic inflammatory disease, and routes of administration are varied (i.e. oral, inhaled, topical, etc.) From an ocular standpoint, corticosteroids have the potential for a few deleterious effects, namely the elevation of intraocular pressure, which can predispose the eye to glaucoma, and the accelerated formation of cataract.

Cataract formation, the opacification of the crystalline lens, is a natural aging process that occurs in all individuals over the course of a lifetime. Although not a damaging effect to the eye, cataract formation causes progressive deterioration of visual quality, thereby requiring surgical removal of the cataract in its more advanced stages.

Corticosteroid use has a pronounced effect on cataract formation, with a marked acceleration in lens opacification. In addition, the type of cataract caused by corticosteroid use, i.e. the “subcapsular” cataract, is particularly visually disabling, as it’s formed in the posterior portion of the lens nearest to the eye’s “focusing” or “nodal” point. In terms of route of administration, topical steroid eyedrops have the most pronounced effect, followed by oral/parenterally administered formulations. Inhaled steroids have also been reported to cause accelerated posterior subcapsular cataracts, but at a much less rapid rate. Although cataracts can cause a significant degree of visual morbidity, they aren’t harmful to the eye’s health and can be corrected successfully with minor outpatient surgery. For this reason, the concern over cataract formation shouldn’t preclude using corticosteroids in necessary situations.