cottontail with cataracts

Question
My bunny, "Mercy," has been blind from the day she opened her eyes. She is a wild cotton-tail that was a rescue, now about 8 mo old. She has cataracts in both eyes which are sapphire blue with white cloudiness. She has slight amount of sight in one eye. That eyeball is growing as she gets older as usual. However the other is completely blind and seems to be slightly atrophied. She is a very happy bunny and receives extremely good care. Though she suffered from intense panic attacks when I got her at about 1 mo old, she now allows me to pet her and loves to be talked to.
So I have assumed that she can continue to have a good quality of life and lead a somewhat normal life. However, I have noticed that sometimes her eyes seem to be slightly watery. I don`t know how to tell if she is in pain. Taking her to a vet specialist is not an option for me financially. Is there a way to know if she`s in pain? Are there signs?
Although she still has a wild nature and is sometimes full of energy, she appears to be very happy.
Kari

Answer
Dear Kari,

Mercy is lucky to have such a loving "mom" to care for her, since she would never survive in the wild.  I'm glad she's happy and content living with you.

Watery eyes may or may not be associated with painful conditions of the eyes.  I have recently published an overview of some of the conditions that can cause epiphora (excess tears) in domestic rabbits, and it's quite likely that the same conditions would produce this in a cottontail, as well.  You can find a version of the article here:

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/weepy_eyes.pdf

It's pretty short, but will give you some ideas.

If she is not showing the typical signs of pain in the eyes, such as squinting, then I would not worry too much, at least for now.  If she is eating and acting happy and normal otherwise, then the tears could just be a side effect of the condition that took her sight.

I hope she does well, and that you both have a happy, long friendship together.

Take care,

Dana