Gecko Eye Issues

[RobsterSF]

Hi all,

My Leo "Bob" seems to be having an issue with the skin around his eyes or his eyelids. As of his recent shed and sometimes in the past he will not open his eyes. I bring him over to the sink, get some warm water running and moisten him up. then after about 10 minutes or so he opens his eyes no problem. I'm wondering if he has stuck shed or something however I can't really see any. His eyes (you can't tell in the photos) look very clear and healthy. Thoughts? Keep in mind my little guy is a rescue who was left out int he cold and in liquified sand and crickets everywhere abandon by some jerk in the winter until we found him and nursed him back to health. He's been happy and always doing great however I always worry that terrible time outside in the cold for who knows how long took some life out of him. He knows he is loved and sits here on my chest happy as a clam and eyes open as I type this. He does have a moist hide however never goes in. I can even put him in there and he comes right out hence I'm not convinced this is a shed issue. I'm reluctant to take him to the vet as last time they wanted to gas him, preform surgery on his gut and monitor him for 24 hours which was going to be roughly $950. A fried who has had Geckos said they do not always bounce back from anesthesia hence I decided that was not going to be in his best interest and worked with him giving him warm baths, massaging his belly and monitoring his diet more carefully and bang he was right as rain in a few weeks. Now we are past that for a few days now his eyes seems to be bothering him. I have no problem working with him in the water everyday however I feel this is tough on the little guy and I just want to help him be healthy. Anything else I can do or time for a herp visit? You will see in the photos prior to the warm water his eyes are shit then happy as a clam.

 

[Josh]

I only see a little abrasion on his left eye. How long are his eyes staying closed for? How many hours per day?

 

[RobsterSF]

Hi Josh,

Hard to say. For example he will sleep in the day with his eyes closed which woudl be expected however once it turn night and he woudl normally be more active that's when I notice he may not open them. I would expect pretty much any Leo to open his eyes when someone reaches in to touch him and make him aware I am there to feed his or change out water. Today About 11 AM he was just fine eyes open when I walked in the room however lets see what he does tonight and I will repot back.

 

[acpart]

I do see something on his left eyelid. It's possible that the eyelid is notched, which is a pretty common birth defect with leopard geckos (I produced a few of them when I was breeding). Sometimes a gecko gets a tiny piece of shed stuck up under the eyelid, but that doesn't seem to be the case here. When you see him with his eyes closed, see if they're closed all the way. If he has very slight deformities of the eyelids it may be difficult for him to get them all the way closed and they may dry out. If you're using lights or heat from above the air in the cage can sometimes get very dry and desiccate the eyes. For a less drastic solution, try dipping your (clean) finger in some water and then putting a drop on each eye. That may help him get the eyes open as well.

Aliza

 

[happygeckos3]

It's hard to see with pictures, but could it be that the tank might be too hot? I decreased the temperature after realizing it was more damaging than good. So I would have the tank no hotter than 90F. One of my leopard geckos had problems with his eyelids too. I had to feed him a slurry through a syringe because he stopped eating when he lost his sight in one eye. The eye had a layer of skin that wouldn't come off or go away and it blocked his vision. So I had to feed him a few types of slurries. One was oxbow critical care carnivore and water. The other was bene-bac plus for birds and reptiles. Both are powders and you would mix them with water and use a syringe to drop them on his lip area so he would lick it up. I would bathe him in chlorhexidine 2% diluted in the bathwater. I would do a few sprays of the diluted solution into the bath to make sure it would disinfect his eye. The solution is safe for him and for other animals as well, even if he ingests it. You can try colloidal silver too. https://dragoncolloids.com/colloida...-colloidal-silver-for-amphibians-and-reptiles

I think the critical care carnivore and bene bac saved him from losing weight. He's a healthy leopard gecko now. The eye problem happened in 2017. Actually, he was having eye problems before 2017 and I nursed him back twice. Ever since I lowered the temperature in the tank, he's been fine. Oh, I also have a huge kidney dish in the tank that he sometimes bathes in. It's for drinking, but I find it helpful if you're not around and the weather gets hot. More often than not, I find my geckos like to use it as a bathtub. I think it's helped them keep hydrated whether they drink the water or bathe in it. Hopefully, your gecko is still eating. If he isn't, try the above slurries. All these remedies are through my own research. I've gone to the vet and they have had no luck in helping any of my geckos. I've had one die in 2014 due to eye problems and I even paid a big vet bill with zero results. So I searched for answers and solutions and found the above worked for my gecko. Good luck and I hope his eyes stay healthy!

​

 

[acpart]

Here's an interesting Gecko Time article about heat and eye problems:

Eyelid Dysecdysis in Leopard Geckos - Gecko Time

I have never had a gecko as a pet. And that is an important fact in my suggestions for their care. My perspective is as if I am a space alien looking down on Earth from Mars and telling us we need to clean up our atmosphere. I do see hundreds of geckos each year with multiple kinds of veterinary...

geckotime.com

Aliza

 

[Young Geckoboy]

Question for Happy geckos:
What removed the skin from the eye? I noticed that my Leo has a translucent layer of skin that won't go away on his right eye. I've cleaned the eye daily for a little over two weeks now, but it has not improved. I also noticed that the skin prevents him from fully closing the eye. He is my favorite gecko and a fine mack Snow specimen, and I would do anything to help him he still eats and drinks, and if anything he is growing (special experiment diet is probably culprit for growth). Thanks for any help!

 

[happygeckos3]

Just checking on this post to see if your leo's eye improved? I did the above to get him well (bathing him in chlorhexidine and using silver on his eye) and lowering the temp in the tank helped him to get better. Eventually, the eye healed on its own. Hopefully things have gotten better for your gecko.