We should have seen it coming: An epidemic of eye damage in cats and dogs is spreading throughout the Big Island like fire, or rather, like Little Fire Ants.

The signs are now common in the Puna district, home to tens of thousands of people and their pets, as well as of the recently arrived Little Fire Ants. Local veterinary clinics say anywhere from half to 90 percent of the animals they see in Puna have this eye problem.

The surface of the animal’s eye becomes cloudy, as white spots develop and slowly spread, sometimes covering the entire eye and turning vision into a foggy blur.

It’s heartbreaking to see the crystal-clear eyes of one’s pet become cloudy. And since there is no known cure, one feels helpless watching the cloudiness slowly spread, as the pet becomes progressively blind. Affected animals include cats, dogs, horses and birds.

Unfortunately, there is no known cause or treatment, despite this problem affecting many animals in other tropical and semitropical places besides Hawaii. It is common in Florida, for example, where it is called Florida Keratopathy, or Florida spots.

A recent study done by a veterinarian in Tahiti, where this problem also occurs, showed that there was a strong correlation between this eye disease and Little Fire Ants. The idea has caught on, and many people in Hawaii think the eye cloudiness is caused by the ants.

However, while there is strong circumstantial evidence showing that “Fire Ant Eye” occurs where there are Little Fire Ants, there has been no scientific proof. And since animals seem to develop the eye spots without showing the signs of eye inflammation and irritation (which you would expect from a fire ant sting to the eye), there must be more to the picture than just the ant.

In fact, research does show the eye spots to be infected by a type of bacteria, called mycobacteria. Certain mycobacteria are also known to infect human eyes and cause similar cloudy spots.

Some Hawaii veterinarians doubt the ants are involved. One vet thinks this eye problem may be a new one, not tropical keratopathy.

So the cause and cure are still a mystery. But we don’t have to be left in the dark. There are some things we can do.

The good news is that antibiotics may help cure this. We need to identify the exact species of bacteria involved, and then find the correct antibiotic to use to kill it. This means we need research.

While government funds are focused on controlling Little Fire Ants, no funds are being spent on research into how to treat and cure this eye problem in animals.

One thing is sure. The problem is getting worse each day, and already is affecting tens of thousands of pets on the Big Island. It could likely spread to the other Hawaiian islands. Without knowing the cause or the cure, the future is dark for Hawaii’s animals and their owners.