One eye closed

[GroomerMo]

My baby beardie drake always has his one eye shut I lightly took a q tip and ran it over his lid and got a small amount of hard crusty that was forcing it to stay shut(now he can open his eye if he wants but keeps it shut) then the next day clearish gunk out I'm giving him eye drops referred to me from a long time beardie owner but its still not working please help.

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[gilliesexotics]

Hi, If you are seeing eye discharge, crust or gunk of any kind. I would suggest you taking your beardie into a vet. An eye infection can get serious. http://www.arav.org/find-a-vet/

Those drops are basically designed to flush, hydrate the eye and also bringing VitA into the equation. They will relieve the dragon of some discomfort but will not heal. Really those drops are designed for deficiency of vitA mainly in turtles.

 

[Germ]

Is it always keeping the one eye closed, or mainly only when it is basking near the UVB bulb?

 

[GroomerMo]

He will open the eye when I get his attention or pick him up but when he is in his tank he normally is basking under the uvb which I moved closer to basking bulb. But he has his one eye closed sometimes both (but mainly the one)

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[Germ]

I would suggest shutting down your UVB bulb for 4-5 days (This won't hurt the BD) to see if there is any improvement. What you are describing are classic symptoms of

Photo-Kerato-Conjuntivitis

This is a painful eye condition caused by excessive exposure to UV radiation.
It is exactly the same as "snow blindness" in skiers, from excessive UV reflected from snow, and "arc welder's flash" experienced by people working with metal welding equipment, who have not worn protective glasses. It is very painful - like having sand in your eyes - and it is caused by damage to the delicate transparent cells on the surface of the eye (the cornea) and the lining of the eyelids. Fortunately, only the superficial layers of the eye are affected; the lens and retina are not damaged (the UVB does not reach the deep structures of the eye) and so it does not cause permanent blindness.
The pain is protective (it makes sufferers close their eyes) and healing begins at once, when the harmful UV light is removed. Unless there have been serious burns, the eyes heal remarkably quickly. The damaged cells are replaced within days and the pain disappears.
Most cases open their eyes again within 2 - 3 days and all symptoms are gone within a week or so, with no medication being necessary. If there has been skin damage to the eyelids this may take a little longer and veterinary examination is essential in case the damaged skin has become infected. We have heard reports of some cases with a sticky discharge from the eye and/or peeling of the skin around the eyelids.

Read More: http://www.uvguide.co.uk/phototherapyphosphor-info.htm

Periodically there is a bad bulb manufactured, does not mean that they are all bad, but one may have been borderline or missed during the quality control or the phosphors in the bulb have deteriorated since, allowing unwanted low level UVC to be emitted & can cause this. This may be your issue, an easy test to check-it out (above top) & an easy fix by replacing the bulb, if the test proves that is where the problem stems from.

Good Luck

 

[GroomerMo]

Should I replace the uvb after the 4-5 days without it on? If so can you tell me exactly what brand I should buy

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[Germ]

If your BD starts to improve & starts to open it's eye/s after a few days without the UVB bulb on, then the UVB bulb is the culprit & needs to be replaced. If it is older than 6 months old, it should be replaced anyway.

The Repti-Sun or Repti-Glo 10.0 (10%) tubes are generally decent choices. If available in your area of the world, the Acadia D3+ (12%) Bulb has been getting some really good reviews too.

Good Luck

 

[GroomerMo]

I just bought the light when I bought the dragon only a couple of weeks ago but I'll turn off the uvb as soon as I get home from work. Should I still take him to the vet

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[GroomerMo]

Ok I've just gotten home I did two things one I turned off the uvb so now all he has is the 100 watt basking bulb and two I went out and bought a zoo med reptisun 10.0 and put it in the zilla slimline fixture so when should I turn it back on?

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[gilliesexotics]

Germ: Good suggestion.

Hi, It is to early to say the eye swelling and infection was caused from the light. The only way to tell is if your animals eye problems go away with the uvb light off. This could take a few days...If the eye crust, gunk (infection) is not gone within 4 days. I would take your dragon to the vet asap.

I have seen this first hand (still have the bulbs). In my case though, both of the eyes were quite swollen within a couple days of usage and went down within a couple days of removing the bulb.

 

[GroomerMo]

Well even though I just bought the zilla slimline I replaced the bulb (not fixture) with a repti-sun 10.0. I have it off for now to see what happens but so far he hasn't opened the one eye I put some eye drops/rinse with a q-tip on his eye lid very lightly and when I pulled away there was still that clear eye gunk, one strand. But I'll keep you updated. I'll wait either the four days or if he gets better to turn the uvb back on.

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[GroomerMo]

So far today's day two this morning his eye was crusted shut so I used some of the turtle eye drops so he was able to open it. By the time I got home from work he was still able to open it but I did get some eye gel for him it was recommended by a reptile keeper please let me know what you think of this stuff I've only used it once so far but it says twice a day. I've also haven't really seen him eat since this has been going on but it doesn't look like he's losing weight

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[gilliesexotics]

Hi, i have never used that exact product but i would not hesitate to use it. It is made for the eyes and should do what it is stated to do clean and relieve. It still wont get rid of the infection but will help the little man out till it is resolved.

The more i have thought about it.
Honestly, an eye infection caused from a defective bulb is really evident. The eye lids will be grossly swollen and it will affect both eyes, not just one.

I would like to go back to by my initial reply of taking him to a vet. Waiting more time just allows the infection to worsen and even more so there may be another underlying problem.

This link should give you some vet options. http://www.arav.org/find-a-vet/

 

[GroomerMo]

Well I called my vet to make a appointment I'm scheduled for Monday unless he has a cancelation. Does $60 dollars sound right for a check up?

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[gilliesexotics]

Hi, $60 for just the check up is a little high unless they are doing a fecal. Some vets do charge more for reptiles or exotics though. Either way it is $60 dollars well spent as long as the vet is knowledgeable. Be sure that you ask questions and dont be afraid to. A good vet will respect that and answer any question you may have. Next, when you get home research what you have been given as advice and treatment.

 

[GroomerMo]

Well my vets telling me that before I bring him in that I should you the eye gel I bought for four says three times a day to fees him baby food stage one with crushed up remade beardie food and calcium does this advise sound right

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[gilliesexotics]

Click the link above, select your state to see if any "real" reptile vets are in your area.

That vet sounds like they are passing the buck. Would not take him to that particular vet. If it is a naso duct infection or basically a sinus infect. No cleaning unless done with a catheter by a vet can be done.

Recently i was brought a female with a cluster of issues. The past owner was going to cull her. One of the problems was an eye infection. We were able to clear it up with baytril and terramycin treatments. Each infection is different though and some will need specific antibiotics to combat it (gram -/+). A vet should be able to do a culture sensitivity test to determine what type of infection it is and treat accordingly.

The longer you wait the harder it may be to get rid of it and possibly even worst...Loss of eye sight.

 

[GroomerMo]

Well I just got back I spent $111 dollars on a visit, eye ointment, and a oral antibiotic. That he will be on for the next ten days. He said that it was an infection but it was not caused by my uvb so hopefully all goes well and he should be showing major improvement in four days.

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[gilliesexotics]

Glad you were able to take him to the vet. +1 on the rep

While on the antibiotic, I would personally soak your little one daily. Take some water a place a drop or two on the tip of his nose/lips to get him drinking.

 

[GroomerMo]

That was another thing he said was to soak him more often and he gave me a eye dropper to hand feed him water. But I will do it everyday thanks everyone I hope this works.

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