Puffy eyes??

[twiztid]

So I just got a chameleon(female) from a friend of mine who no longer has the time to care for her, but the problem is that I have a bunch of others and have to keep this one in a seperate room due to a potential health issue. The eyes are bulgy and buggish almost, and I'm not quite sure what the deal is with that. I got it this way, no less than 15 minutes ago, so I'd appreciate some advice, aside from the "take it to the vet" stuff. Thanks and anything is appreciated

[Purrrfect9]

What kind of chameleon is it? And pics would greatly help. From what it sounds like, this could be an eye infection. Do you notice any mucusy discharge in his eyes, and does he keep his eyes closed most of the time? My chameleon looked like that when he had his eye infection, as well as the swollen/puffyness. Either way, if anything is wrong with a chameleons eyes (any animals eye really) you need to take him to the vet. Without it, you will have to hand feed the chameleon, which will then quickly loose the elasticity and muscle tone of his tongue, which later on may lead to tongue amputation, which is what my vet told me when I came in to see him. Hope that helps

[twiztid]

Well there is no discharge or anything puss-like seeping from the eye. Without being able to take a picture right now, it just seems swollen and abnormal. It can still open and the chameleon is still strong and active. It's a veiled chameleon as well, if that's of any help. I know a vet visit is the right call, but before I go and dish out money I wanted to know if the problem was able to be fixed before getting a vet involved, and secondly whether or not it'd even be worth it and if it was extremly serious. I thought I'd get as many opinions as possible - so I'm not just trying to put it off or avoid it all together, just prodding around for other solutions and what not.

[mlededee]

it could be a vitamin a deficiency--many times eye issues are a sign of that. without knowing any background on the animal it is hard to say, but either way it should be seen by a qualified herp vet.