Eye or vision problems after Dexmedetomidine (Dexdomitor) in cats

84 reports to the FDA describe eye or vision problems in cats given Dexmedetomidine. That is 3.2% of all reports for this medicine, compared with 2.3% across reports for all cat medicines.

84Reports

54%Marked serious

19%Recovered

18%Died or euthanised

Same dayTypical onset

How soon it started

Same day

47 73%

1–2 days

13 20%

3–7 days

3 4.7%

1–4 weeks

0 0.0%

Over a month

1 1.6%

How the animals did

Recovered

14 17%

Recovered with lasting effects

2 2.4%

Still unwell when reported

29 35%

Died

8 9.5%

Euthanised

7 8.3%

Not known

24 29%

Problems reported at the same time

17 20%

16 19%

16 19%

16 19%

15 18%

15 18%

14 17%

13 15%

Age of the animals

Under 1 year

1–3 years

4–7 years

8–11 years

12+ years

About this medicine

Dexmedetomidine sedation and pain relief (also an oral gel for noise anxiety).

Products with this ingredient include Dexdomitor, Sileo. The FDA hides brand names in its public data, so these reports cover every product with the same active ingredients.

Questions owners ask

Can Dexmedetomidine cause eye or vision problems in cats?: 84 reports link the two, but a report alone does not prove the medicine was the cause: other illnesses, other medicines or coincidence can be involved. Your vet can judge it for your animal.
How soon after a dose was it reported?: In half of the reports with dates, it started within the same day of the first dose.
What should I do?: Don't give another dose until you've spoken to your vet, and keep the packaging so you can tell them the product and dose. Your vet can also report it to the FDA (or you can, through the manufacturer or FDA form 1932a).

Eye or vision problems with similar medicines

Eye or vision problems after Buprenorphine 249 reports · 4.4% of its reports

All reported side effects of Dexmedetomidine in cats · Medicines most reported with eye or vision problems