# Leopard gecko eye problems..



## Kev132 (Aug 13, 2006)

Hey guys, 

i noticed one of my geckos had been keeping his eyes closed alot recently, 

so i cleaned him out as normal yesertday, sprayed him before putting him back into his viv and he opened his eyes, and they appear to be very cloudy so today i took him to the vet... 

the vet told me its lack of vitamins ? hes on the exact same diet as my other leo's one of which is a plump 72 grams 

so anyway, i figured he knew best but suggested he tested the feceas i took in for parasites, he told me theres a very slim chance he has parasites but could send it of to be tested (but it would cost £36)so i said no, i also asked about eye drops he said there was no need ? 

he sold me some bug foods, grub grub and bug grub, and assured me they would be different to the ones i was using already, but upon arriving home i find they have almost identical ingredients to tehe mealworm diet plus i was using, and one of the tubs he sold me was out of date, 

whats wrong with my geckos eyes ? i feel ive just been to the vets and wasted £42 

hes got a moist hide a warm hide and a cool hide, hot side is 90 degrees @ substrate and hes on paper towel, he gets crix/mealworms dusted with d3 multivit twice a week and normal calcium every day, theres a normal calcium dish always available in his viv...

Thanks

Kev


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## purejurrasic (Mar 18, 2006)

Sounds like maybe a slight infection

Leos are often poked in the eye by stray crix legs as they are eating. its not unfeasable that this has happened.

Another possibilty is a small bit of unshed skin causing iritation.

My tip is to boil up some water, let it cool right down and very gently swab the eye area. Dont touch the eye itself, they are pretty delicate, but if you can, drip some water over the eye, much like an eyewash. 

This in its self often helps dislodge any remaining skin, and will wash the eye out. Keep a close watch for any change in the condition.

This irrigation may also lift any remaining eye caps that have failed to lift in a shedding.

The real key here is dont actullay touch the eye itself, just flush it with clean water.

I personally think your vet was barking up the wrong tree, and I would for sure take the out of date stuff back and cause a scene !

Good luck


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## nicky (Jul 13, 2005)

echoing purejurrasic completely...would also add no need to give calcium everyday couple times weekly, differant days to multivit just fine especially as it has dish in viv anyhow...  keep us updated on any progress..


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## dragonsdad&mum (Aug 18, 2006)

Was your vet a specialised repltile one? Or a general one that says he's an expert. You get a lot of those. A friend of mine took her Beardy to a vet that advertised 'reptile specialist' and then when they took him along, he had to look up everything in a book. Not good.

We have a FANTASTIC vet that was recommended to us by purejurrasic. Where abouts do you live?

Cand xx


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## Kev132 (Aug 13, 2006)

hey, 

thanks for the help guys, been more of a help than any other forum lol 

just tried the drippign water, and one eye is now completelly clear, the other has opened but still a little cloudy, how many times a day you think i should do it ? once twice ?

also, ive got alot of herps, so im thinking of getting my own microscope to do fecals with, but what sort of microscope would i be looking at ?

Thanks again

Kev


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## purejurrasic (Mar 18, 2006)

Hi, great news about the first eye

I would only do the irrigation once a day for now, as it could stress your gecko quite a bit.

Keep a close watch and if you think the eye is getting slightly worse in the one day, then try it twice a day. The idea is to gently wash out any problems, not go at it hell for leather.

Doing it gently helps the gecko build a natural resistance and allows you and your gecko to gain trust in each other.

I find those geckos that fall ill and recover with the help of love and care very often become extreamly tame and trusting of you.

So, yeah, try once a day for the next few days then take stock.

Good luck


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## purejurrasic (Mar 18, 2006)

opps, forgot the rest of the reply !!  

I have no idea about scopes, i guess you would need to do some research into parasite sizes then work out how much you need to zoom in to be able to ID something.

Sorry, I dont know, and to be honest, unless you practice a lot and really get the hang of it, it could cause probs. If you miss Id a parasite, you could miss treat the gecko. and some of the treatments are pretty strong and also only available from a vet.


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## raeraewi (Jul 11, 2013)

*Eye Problems*

I've been taking care of my brother's gecko because it had problem shedding the skin on head and has been that way I think through one additional shed...though I'm not sure. Anyways, I have been doing 10-15 minute warm baths each day for the last few day, and have used mineral oil as well and almost all of it is gone except for in his eyes....this part scares me because when I was trying to get that bit off one of the eyes earlier today, I felt as though it was his eye dried up and that I was pulling his eyeball out of his head...maybe that sounds silly, but is that possible? I saw other peoples pictures that were in the same situation and it looked like he got a lot of crap out of the lizard's eye, but I'm terrified I will be pulling his eyeball out What I was thinking I would do is keep up with the baths and change to saline solution, which I've also seen recommend everywhere and see what happens. He is eating fine and is full of energy, so other than his poor eyes, he's doing great! 

What advice do you all have for me?


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## littlefoot (Dec 6, 2007)

Hi Kev I hope your gecko gets better very soon.May I ask what suppliments you are using and do you gut load his food? Is the pure calcium that you supply without D3 ?

I would certainly take that out of date stuff back to the vet and also the other he gave you as it isn't necessary and waste of money.The vet doesn't sound very knowledgeable about reptiles so it may be best to find another.

Here is one that I havn't used personaly but they have been suggested in other threads.

Ashfield House Veterinary Hospital
142, Derby Road, Long Eaton, Nottingham, 
NG10 4ER.
0115 972 7050



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