Cataracts, early, 7 y/o bunster

Question
I'd appreciate learning of current therapies to slow the formation of 'simple' cataracts in bunnies who come of age, i.e., those related to age-related degeneration from oxidative stress, and not with causes such as E.c., diabetes, etc., which may have specific medical treatments of their own.

One of my 7 y/o bunnies seems to have early signs of such formation in both eyes, where the formerly garnet/dark brown field appears, externally, to be turning dark blue.  My only elderbun (ATB) started with such "simple" cataracts when he was about 10 and we worked with products from Ader Enterprises called Pet Vision (OTC) and PV Pro (stronger concentration of same product for vet use), both of which are anti-oxidants based on N-acetyl-carnosine.  Unfortunately, I was not aware during our treatment period that it is advised to avoid concurrent anti-oxidant food supplementation with the PV products, apparently the physiological processes undermine each other (?), so we may not have obtained the benefit hoped for.  His cataracts continued to ripen and at 14 one eye was occluded, at 15 the other followed suit.

Here we go again ... another bunny with indications of early cataracts, and I've read that dietary supplementation with red palm fruit oil and monolaurin (from coconut oil) has been effective in retarding and resolving avian cataracts, but the doctors (Harrison/Valiente) who develop and use those have not accrued sufficient experience with rabbit patients to report whether such supplemntation may help bunnies.

I'd love to learn of any current effective experience with retarding or reversing cataracts in rabbits that have come within your radar.  Thanks!

Answer
Dear Sharon,

I'm starting to think that some rabbits are just congenitally predisposed to early cataracts, and that medications and dietary supplements are only marginally effective, if at all.  I'd recommend that you get your bunny to a good veterinary ophthalmologist with rabbit experience, so that the cataracts can be checked, as well as IOP.  In some cases, though high IOP doesn't *cause* cataracts, it does accompany them.  And you want to be able to control that even more than the cataracts.  Occluded lenses can be surgically removed to restore (blurry) sight, but once the retina is damaged by long term, high IOP, it's gone.

I am not familiar with results of any of the dietary supplements or medications you mention, and haven't had opportunity to try them.  But if they don't work, then there is always the option of surgical removal of at least ONE lens, allowing bunny to retain sight at least in one eye.

Hope this helps.

Dana