Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)
Learn what the condition is, how it may be detected early, how it is treated or managed, and which breeds or species are linked to it.
Condition snapshot
A concise guide to the condition’s pattern, detection, management and urgency.
Breeding advice appliesUse the condition’s screening guidance and veterinary or genetics advice before breeding an affected or at-risk animal.
This snapshot is a general guide, not a diagnosis or treatment plan. New, severe or worsening signs require veterinary assessment.
About the condition
Progressive retinal atrophy, or PRA, refers to inherited disorders in which the light-sensitive photoreceptor cells of the retina gradually degenerate. Different genetic forms occur in different cat breeds, and the age of onset and rate of progression vary. Recognised variants include forms in Abyssinian and Somali cats, Bengals and Persians, among others.
The retina contains rods, which are important for vision in dim light, and cones, which support brighter-light vision and detail. Many PRA forms affect rods first, so the earliest sign can be difficulty seeing at dusk or in dark rooms. Pupils may become persistently dilated and more reflective. As degeneration advances, daylight vision is also lost.
PRA is not painful. Cats often compensate extremely well because they use hearing, smell, whiskers and memory to navigate familiar spaces. An owner may not realise vision has declined until furniture is moved or the cat enters an unfamiliar environment.
The retina develops characteristic changes as disease progresses.
There is no treatment that reverses inherited photoreceptor loss. The main health importance lies in accurate diagnosis, safe environmental adaptation and responsible breeding.
The retinal degeneration itself does not make the eye red or painful. If a cat with known PRA begins squinting, develops discharge or shows corneal cloudiness, another eye problem should be investigated rather than attributing every ocular change to the inherited blindness.
Carrier status matters for recessive forms because clinically normal carriers can pass the mutation to offspring. Outward changes can include early signs include hesitation in dim light, reluctance to use stairs at night, unusually dilated pupils or increased startle in unfamiliar surroundings. Cats often adapt so well that subtle night blindness is easily missed. Breeding prevention is the main disease-specific intervention.
Screening & Early Detection
Cats from breeds with a recognised PRA mutation can be DNA tested before breeding using the specific test validated for that breed and variant. Genetic results should be recorded for both parents rather than inferred from appearance.
A veterinary eye examination remains important even when DNA testing is available. Ophthalmoscopy can identify retinal degeneration from genetic forms not covered by a particular test and from non-genetic retinal disease. Electroretinography is useful when early PRA is suspected before obvious fundus changes have developed.
There is no single PRA test appropriate for every cat breed. Screening should be mutation-specific and interpreted with pedigree and ophthalmic findings. A cat that tests negative for one known mutation should not be described as genetically clear of every possible retinal disorder.
Diagnosis is made by veterinary ophthalmic examination. Electroretinography can detect reduced retinal function before late structural changes are obvious. Breed-specific DNA tests are valuable where the relevant mutation has been identified, but a negative result for one variant does not rule out every form of retinal degeneration. Because several genetically distinct PRA forms exist, screening must match the cat’s breed and the specific mutation rather than treating “PRA testing” as one universal assay.
Treatment & Management
There is currently no treatment that restores photoreceptors lost through inherited PRA. Management therefore focuses on helping the cat use its remaining senses safely as vision declines. Furniture, litter trays, food and water should remain in predictable locations, and access to unsafe balconies, roads or open outdoor areas should be prevented.
Cats usually adapt well in a familiar indoor environment. Verbal cues can help before touching a blind cat, and textured mats or scent landmarks can identify important locations. Toys that make noise and interactive play can remain enjoyable even after vision is lost.
No supplement has been shown to reverse a confirmed inherited PRA. Treatment claims should therefore be approached cautiously, particularly if they delay proper diagnosis. Other eye disease can occur at the same time and should still be treated normally because blindness from PRA does not make a painful eye acceptable.
Affected cats should not be bred, and carrier management should follow the inheritance pattern of the particular variant. Genetic testing allows responsible breeding without discarding all related cats indiscriminately, provided mating decisions avoid producing affected kittens.
Breeds or species affected
Abyssinian
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American Curl
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American Wirehair
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Balinese
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Bengal
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Colorpoint Shorthair
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Cornish Rex
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Exotic Shorthair
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Himalayan
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Minuet
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Ocicat
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Oriental Longhair
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Oriental Shorthair
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Persian
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Savannah
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Siamese
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Singapura
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Somali
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Thai
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Tonkinese
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Toyger
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Cheetoh
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Genetta
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Serengeti
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