about the sight of my kitten

Question
Recently i had to take my kitten to the local vet (which is unrelated to the question iam asking now)i asked them about my kitten sight because over the last couple of months we have noticed that he does not seem to be focusing on anything in front of him. We mentioned this to the vet and with out any test given they mentioned that whilst treating him they observed that there was a crater in both of his eyes.  
He does not have sticky or cloudy eyes but iam concerned for my cats wellbeing regarding his sight.
I would be grateful if you could give some advice about this issue with a reply.
many thanks,
Mrs Grahame

Answer
Hello Mrs Grahame.  Did the vets give him any eye ointment or eye drops at that time?  A crater on the eye would usually indicate a corneal ulcer or that an ulcer had recently occurred.  In most cases, corneal ulcers don't cause blindness, unless a scar is created, and it obstructs the line of sight.  If the vet suspected an active ulcer, then an antibiotic ointment would generally be prescribed, but if the ulcer had already begun to heal, one may not have been necessary.

As for his failure to focus on things in front of him, this is probably normal.  Cats are, in a sense, farsighted, and don't have the physical ability to focus well on things directly in front of them.  The lens of a cat's eye is very large to allow for the collection of lots of light, the reason why cats see so well in the dark.  But because it's so large, it loses its ability to change shape within the eye, which is what allows humans to focus in on things that are either very close or very far away.  Cats rely on their senses of smell and hearing to help determine exactly what they're dealing with up close.

I'm not sure how old the little one is, but if he's very young, it could certainly have to do with his age, too.  Sight isn't fully developed until about three months of age, and reflexes continue to develop for several months, so he may just have some fine tuning to do yet.  There are some excellent veterinary ophthalmologists in the field, though, so if things don't seem to head in the right direction, it may be worth a consultation.  Your vet should be happy to refer you.