Possible blindness in my cat after anesthesia

My kitten is about 8 months old. I adopted her from a rescue once she was ready to go to a home. For the first few months she did very well.

During the fall, I began noticing noisy breathing, especially when she was eating and drinking. Around that same time, I also noticed additional symptoms, including slightly reduced hearing and mild issues with her equilibrium. Despite this, she remained a functional cat, though she became less inclined to jump onto higher surfaces.

I brought her to the vet and she was initially treated with antibiotics. When that did not help, she was prescribed a second course of antibiotics that lasted four weeks. Since medications did not improve her symptoms, the vet suspected a possible polyp.

She had the procedure on 1/26/26. After the procedure, I was informed that she had a reaction while waking up from anesthesia, including open-mouth breathing and hyperventilating for approximately 30–40 minutes. She was monitored at the clinic for the remainder of the day and provided oxygen as needed. An emergency vet visit was discussed, but after several hours she was resting more comfortably, so I took her home that night to monitor her.

During the procedure, an abscess was found in her ear, and as much material as possible was removed. When she was discharged, she was prescribed Tresaderm for her ear to help remove any remaining debris and reduce inflammation.

For the first few days after the procedure, she couldn’t walk. As she began walking again, I noticed she could not see. At a follow-up visit, when I expressed my concerns about her vision, she was prescribed prednisolone in case there was inflammation affecting her optic nerve.

After about a little more than a week, her balance improved significantly and she was able to walk without falling. She is eating and drinking with assistance. However, she continues to bump into objects, cannot locate her food or litter box on her own, and appears unable to see.

This coming Monday, 2/9/26, will be two weeks since her procedure. Her pupils do respond to light, but she currently has no response to the menace test. I am wondering whether this type of vision loss can take time to improve, or if this is more likely to be permanent.

Any suggestions, thoughts, or advice is much appreciated. Thank you!