Leopard Gecko Eye Issues

I got my leopard gecko back in April and have been battling eye issues ever since. I took her to my reptile vet who is great with BP's, but he even admitted himself that he wasn't up to date on geckos. The treatment that he gave me (at a reduced price) didn't do much so I'm hoping I can find some answers here.

So I'll start off by giving you some detail:

I got this leopard gecko as a baby from a reptile shop. They get them directly from a local breeder here in the central florida area. she was healthy with both eyes open at the time of purchase. About a week later I noticed that one of here eyes seemed swollen and she couldn't open it. Ever since she has had issues with both eyes on and off.

Her cage is a 10 gallon glass tank that at first I was heating with a UTH regulated by my herpstat 4, but I've since switched to a infrared heat lamp that is regulated by my herpstat 4. I switched to try to lower the humidity in the cage (which was about 60% with the UTH and is now about 40% with the heat lamp) she is on paper towels, has 2 reptile basics "mini" size hides (one hot, one cool) and a humid hide in the center. she has a water dish big enough that she can soak in it, but shallow enough that she can't drown in it. She has a small dish with Repashy Calcuim Plus in it, and is offered crickets daily. I dust the crickets with calcium plus every other day. I had trouble getting her to eat at first but now she is a strong feeder. She does have trouble eating when both eyes are stuck shut but can still eat on her own (it just takes a long time) I feed her in a separate tub to make removing uneaten crickets easier.

Besides her eyes she seems normal and healthy.

Here are some pictures:

From the day that I got her (4/2011)

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...s/4e3f6bad.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...s/ba64a318.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...s/ff1a2961.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...s/3296a83e.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...s/0127334b.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...s/e40759c7.jpg

Here are some pictures from a about a month ago:

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...s/2eee17a1.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...s/5b61b549.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...s/3cd73e80.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...s/5c31ca9e.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...s/b5a3a882.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...s/190e1ca7.jpg

And finally some pictures I took today:

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...s/9a81cc85.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...s/739e39a2.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...s/464c7a54.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...s/bba182b4.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...s/dfbf59f8.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...s/a4e48b16.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...s/dfd277d8.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...s/a79efff1.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...s/ab8fa5fe.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...s/27653d19.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...s/7da912e8.jpg

I can take more pictures/give any information I left out if necessary.

I will add that I have some Vitamin A power that I occasionally give her and when she eats crickets coated in the vitamin A powder she almost always can open her eyes for about 15 minutes after eating. Not sure if this is relevant or not, but I figured that I would put it out there.

Also is it normal that her colors change so much? when I got here shoe had a lot of black on her... but now what was black now looks like blushing on a pastel BP and at times even yellow (illustrated by the 3 sets of pictures above)

Thanks.

I have heard that hatchling to adult colors can change. Is she always like that? Maybe she is just sleepy? I have no idea what would cause that. Stuck shed? Hope someone has some info. Maybe Heather will pipe in here, she has lots of gecko info.

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She is like that all the time. I've read that it can be related to a number of things, everything from RI to vitamin deficiencies...

Bump...

No one has piped up? Aaron has helped tons of people, anyone?????

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For that last question, yes, your baby will lose the banding and gain spots. It's very cool to see and compare pics! :D The yellow can turn various shades during this process.

When he does open his eyes finally, is it cloudy looking or clear? Are the eyelids crusty? I have a gecko rescue that has spent a lot of time at the vet for his on-and-off eye issues, part of it was that the shed from the eyelid had gotten stuck in his eye. My vet says he is also not cleaning/licking his eyes like he should be, so his eyes are cloudy. Antibiotic cream under the eyelid didn't help him, but it was the first course of action my vet took, and maybe it might work for yours? My vet said there's not much we can do if he isn't cleaning his eyes except to clean his eyes for him when he needs it, which a good vet could probably teach you how to do.
She looks like she needs a couple grams, but as you say he appetite is strong, so that's good. I'm sure her eye issues would hinder her ability to hunt, as that was the case with mine. Try free-feeing her mealworms in a dish, as they are easier to catch and she'd be able spend the time to poke her nose around and feel around for her food without the food running away.

Her eyes look normal when she opens them. My vet gave me an antibiotic cream and it didn't do much. Maybe it was the wrong type... I honestly don't know.

I would have to say that maybe she has some shed stuck in her eye. She looks healthy otherwise, and you say that her eyes look normal when they are open. Do you see her licking her eyes at all?

I would also add mealies to her diet, just to give her more variety, and it being easier for her to eat. I use those little glass votive candle holders from Walmart for $.50 for my mealworms.

The type of calcium you are using, is it with or without D3?

And yes, leos change drastically from hatchling to adult!!

I have never seen her lick her eyes

Could it really be a piece of shed? This has been going on for months and switches between her eyes (sometimes in both at the same time)

The calcium supplement says that it has vitamin D in it (though doesn't specifically say D3)

It could be a piece of stuck shed in the eyelid, I had a Leopard with a similar problem. I used a cotton swab with either saline or warm water (i don't remember which) and gently rubbed it across her eyelids, which seemed to help. I would draw it back gently, just from front to back, as to not irritate the eye too much and also go with a more natural shedding direction. Also, even if its been going on for a while, a piece of stuck shed could just accumulate more skin and never come off.

I would suggest seeing a vet, but as you have already done that to no avail, it seems that an infection isn't likely since the cream didn't help, and the gecko looks otherwise healthy. So my input is probably some stuck shed.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

I have never seen her lick her eyes

Could it really be a piece of shed? This has been going on for months and switches between her eyes (sometimes in both at the same time)

The calcium supplement says that it has vitamin D in it (though doesn't specifically say D3)

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What I would try doing the next time you notice she is about to shed, is mist her. I always mist my geckos when they are about to shed. I don't mist around the tub or anything, just directly on my gecko. Once you do that, see if she starts licking at her eyes. All my geckos lick at their eyes, even when not in shed. Maybe some water droplets on/around her eyes would get her to lick them. I hope this helps.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by heathers*bps

What I would try doing the next time you notice she is about to shed, is mist her. I always mist my geckos when they are about to shed. I don't mist around the tub or anything, just directly on my gecko. Once you do that, see if she starts licking at her eyes. All my geckos lick at their eyes, even when not in shed. Maybe some water droplets on/around her eyes would get her to lick them. I hope this helps.

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Alright I'll give it a shot.

Thanks.

I would get her into a bright, well lit area and examine her eyes as closely as you can.

A friend of mine had a gecko with shed stuck on the eyelid that was irritating the crud out of her eye. It wasn't an easy task to remedy, and she had problems for quite a while after it.

I would definitely suggest a very close analysis of it if you can. Magnifying glass, light, even a second set of hands if you can. I worry that this problem could be causing perminant damage.

Take a container and put some warm, moist paper towels into it to create a sauna. Let her sit in this for about 15-20 minutes. Then remove her to examine her eyes. If you do identify any stuck shed, the humidity from the sauna should allow you to manipulate the area and possibly remove the problem.

Another thing to look at is the eyelids. Are they folded in at all? In horses, there have been a few cases where the eyelids would turn in and the horse would be getting irritated constantly by the outer skin and eyelashes of the eyelid. This would result in squinting, eye watering, problems seeing... Not sure if that would be the case here, but it might be something to check. It could be her eyelid anatomy that's causing problems?

Pretty much, I would get a close look at her as best you can. Use saline if you're working with her eyes, as it is pH neutral. Perhaps try flushing her eye with saline if you think it's foreign matter. Otherwise, use q-tips dipped in saline if you need to manipulate her eyelids or anything like that. Take your time, analyze and look. She might not be very happy about it, but treat it like you're a 'doctor' dealing with a stubborn 'patient'. "It's for your own good!"

There's nothing in her tank she could have injured her eyes on?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Vasiliki

I would get her into a bright, well lit area and examine her eyes as closely as you can.

A friend of mine had a gecko with shed stuck on the eyelid that was irritating the crud out of her eye. It wasn't an easy task to remedy, and she had problems for quite a while after it.

I would definitely suggest a very close analysis of it if you can. Magnifying glass, light, even a second set of hands if you can. I worry that this problem could be causing perminant damage.

Take a container and put some warm, moist paper towels into it to create a sauna. Let her sit in this for about 15-20 minutes. Then remove her to examine her eyes. If you do identify any stuck shed, the humidity from the sauna should allow you to manipulate the area and possibly remove the problem.

Another thing to look at is the eyelids. Are they folded in at all? In horses, there have been a few cases where the eyelids would turn in and the horse would be getting irritated constantly by the outer skin and eyelashes of the eyelid. This would result in squinting, eye watering, problems seeing... Not sure if that would be the case here, but it might be something to check. It could be her eyelid anatomy that's causing problems?

Pretty much, I would get a close look at her as best you can. Use saline if you're working with her eyes, as it is pH neutral. Perhaps try flushing her eye with saline if you think it's foreign matter. Otherwise, use q-tips dipped in saline if you need to manipulate her eyelids or anything like that. Take your time, analyze and look. She might not be very happy about it, but treat it like you're a 'doctor' dealing with a stubborn 'patient'. "It's for your own good!"

There's nothing in her tank she could have injured her eyes on?

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I'll take a look. I don't think that there is anything in her cage that would be causing issues. I have paper towels for substrate, Reptile basics hides, a water dish, and a calcium dish.

Then I'm rather stumped. Leos are tricky with their moving eyelids. Keep us posted on anything you find, though. Might help us narrow down how to help your little girl.

My guess is that she's had a number of bad sheds. Retained sheds can cause all sorts of problems (I almost lost one of mine due to an infection related to a shed that got behind his eye). Anyway, I would rinse her eyes out daily for a while (water or a saline eye drops) and see if that will clear it up.

What color are her pupils? If they're red, there's a good chance she's just extremely light sensitive. (Lack of the pigment leads to higher light sensitivity) I have one who can't be in any sort of direct sunlight- even through a window, it's too painful for him.

Well here is an update:

I put her under my stereoscope (Microscope for viewing 3D objects) I found that there were extremely small pieces of stuck shed on her eyelids. So I had my sister (who is in school to become a vet) remove them since my hands shake too much to do anything that close to my leopard geckos eyes.

It took a few days but she has both open now and has for a about a week. I'm not celebrating just yet but all seems to be fixed for now.

Thanks all for the input!

Yay!! Glad the problem is solved and she is better! *happy dance* :)

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I know this is a little old but thought I would chime in. There are a number of things that leopard geckos are very prone to getting that can cause the eye to close.

-Usually a stuck shed is what it is but the eye will look swollen or bulging if it was.
-if it is in sand or any of kind of dirt particles of some sort could have gotten inside and havnt came out.
-There are a few worm parasites that are found around the eyethat can cause them to close there eyes.
-If it was scratched lets say by a mealworm while trying to eat it, could cause them to close there eyes.
-Nutritional deficiencies as well can cause this, usually lack of vitamen A.
-Some geckos are born blind (not in this case apparently)

Usually the best thing that you can do is try to flush out the eye with a sayline solution that they use for contacts that is preservative free. If that doesnt help a vet trip is needed.

How did you remove the shed from the eye? We are having the same issue with our Leo. we have been rinsing with saline and gently tubing with q-tip. Also added an antibiotic ointment for eyes. He has shed again since the retained shed. But is not interested in eating.

I used a stereo scope so I could see what I was doing then super small tweezers to remove the pieces of stuck shed. I used F10 vet disenfectant to disenfectant the tweezers.

Thanks... We have tried using a magnifying glass but can't really tell from that. If it doesn't get any better a visit to the vet is in our future.