INSIDE EDITION - An elderly pit bull got her spunk back after receiving contact lenses.
Gremlin, who is 11 years old, was diagnosed with cataracts more than a year ago and underwent surgery, eventually causing her to lose some of her vision.
After developing glaucoma, she went completely blind in her right eye and had to have it deadened. She could only see far distances with her left, according to her owner, Mariesa Hughes.
“She would stay away from everyone. She would shutter when you walked by. She was the matriarch of our family so it was a big change for us,” Hughes told InsideEdition.com.
The family, which has nine dogs, said Gremlin would constantly bump into things, had trouble eating, and even fell down the stairs. Her quality of life was hugely suffering.
Willing to try anything, Hughes contacted several doctors and even tried glasses for dogs to help Gremlin.
That’s when Gremlin’s veterinarian recommended contact lenses for her left eye and Hughes agreed, desperately wanting to help. It’s not uncommon for vets to use therapeutic soft contact lenses.
“I thought it would be more to protect her eye than it was for her to see,” Hughes said.
When the lenses arrived Hughes said she asked tons of questions.
“I was like ‘how are we going to know it works? What is the efficacy?’” Hughes said. “Her veterinarian put the contact in before she answered any questions. When they put Gremlin down on the floor, it was like a whole new dog.”