I had the vet check Thirteen's eyes today during her regular visit. She (the vet) confirmed that she (Thirteen) has cataracts in both eyes. The one in the right eye is blocking about 1/3 of her vision; the one in the left eye is less severe.
It's basically what I was expecting. At Thirteen's age, loss of sight is so common than it would be unusual for her to have perfect vision. The only treatment is surgery, which would be too risky for a dog her age. So she's going to gradually lose her sight, and we just need to make things easier for her by not moving the furniture unnecessarily and so forth.
I'm really kind of surprised that I'm not more freaked out about this. I guess because cataracts are so common for old animals (old people too!) that it isn't exactly a shock. Lina had cataracts in both eyes before she died. She was much younger than Thirteen is now, and it never seemed to affect her.
I should have noticed that Thirteen's eyes had gotten cloudy, but it happened so gradually. Now that it's been pointed out to me, I look into her blue eye and remember how crystal clear it used to be. (I don't know if I've mentioned on the blog that Thirteen's eyes are two different colors: one blue and one brown.)
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