Leopard gecko eye problem

Golden Dragon 82 · #1 03-30-2010, 09:00 PM

Okay this may sound a bit weird, though I hope someone knows exactly what's going on. I have a Leopard Gecko that I purchased nearly six years ago. He has been free of any ailments in that time. Eats fine, poops fine, digs fine, etc. I have him alone in a 20 gallon tank with white calcium base sand for a substrate. I have had no problems with this substrate to date and unless this problem can be solved by changing it I intend to keep it.

Recently my gecko, Akira shed like normal, though I noticed some leftover skin that stuck to his nose. Didn't think much of it. His nostrils were clear, it just looked a tad ratty. The next time he shed, I noticed much more skin around his head was left behind. Soon, I saw him attempting to eat some mealworms I placed in the tank. He took two of them but as I looked again I noticed he was having trouble. Upon further inspection I noticed that one eye had become covered with dead skin somehow (don't know how it sealed over his left eye, but it had) The right eye was encircled with dead skin but not covered. I immediately went to find a pair of tweezers which I used to gently remove the dead skin from his eyes. As I did I was relieved until I noticed the next day that he still kept his left eye shut, and when his right eye was open the pupil looked to be completely dilated. I can just barely see the gold edge of the iris so I know that it isn't just black with some gross infection or something. This has been going on for about a week and the right eye has yet to return to normal and the left eye he still keeps closed.

This little guy is great and I really don't want to replace him. He's my buddy and if anyone knows what I can do to fix this please help me out. Also, when I removed the skin from his left eye, it opened briefly and it also apeared dilated. I know I may have to flush his eyes with saline but I don't know how to get them to undilate. Any ideas?

Allee Toler · #2 03-30-2010, 10:34 PM

First things first, remove the sand. I'm against sand but for the EYES it should be removed until it is cleared up. For other health reasons it should stay out, but that's your choice. I have geckos who get sand in their eyes and they get infected, they can ingest the sand and cause blockage in the intestines which leads to a painful death, and the calcium in the sand encourages them to lick it. If you want to keep sand buy some play sand at Home Depot or Lowes, clean it in boiling water, filter it, and then use it. A more natural look is Excavator Sand. If you wet it a little more than the directions you can mold hills, caves, mountains, rocks, etc. And they'll harden like a rock. Looks really cool and natural, plus there's no risk of impaction.

You need to take saline solution and clean it out, then get him to the vet. Eye infection needs terramycin, which you can get from LLLReptile.com, or from a vet.

Golden Dragon 82 · #3 03-31-2010, 11:01 AM

Thanks for the advice. I may end up changing this substrate after all. Though I'm not entirely sure it caused the problem, it'd be best to avoid any problems in the future. I put some eye drops in Akira's eyes this morning and it seems to have helped a bit. His left eye actually opened up, and when I used a flashlight to get a better look, it seems there may be some skin that got up in his eye somehow. It doesn't appear infected (no swelling, discoloration, or discharge) and his pupil response is good. I think they are dilated just because they are staying closed. The flashlight caused them to return to normal in terms of dilation. I removed him from his tank and put him in a box with paper towels for now until I remove the sand. I'm on a very limited budget so taking him to a vet isn't really an option at the moment. Is there anything else I can do to help him out?

Allee Toler · #4 03-31-2010, 04:26 PM

Check LLLReptile.com for terramycin. It's an antibiotic for the eyes. It's good to have on hand in case it does end up getting infected.

You need to remove the shed from the upper eye lid. Once you remove it, flush the eye daily to keep it clean, use the terramycin if it has any sort of watering or goop. If it returns to normal keep an eye on it for any signs of infection (addition to watery/goop, swelling and/or keeping the eye shut). The terramycin is about $20, much cheaper than a vet visit. So you'll need to act fast before a vet visit becomes mandatory.