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Q: Leo stuck eye caps?
Posted By:

LGray23

In Relation To:

Toe

I noticed a couple weeks ago that my leo might have a retained eye cap. I used a Q-tip soaked with sterile saline and VERY gently attempted to work it off, and figured I'd give her some time, but now I'm starting to get worried. I'm not even sure if it is an eye cap. I managed to get her to open it long enough to get some pictures, any help would be appreciated.

The first picture is with flash, she closed her eye partially but you can see it a little

Second picture is without flash

Third picture is her good eye


Attached Photos:




Points: 150
Topics: General Health , Eyes
Tags: Eyecaps, Leopardgecko
Species: Lizards > Geckos > Eublepharis macularius
Administrative: Show/Hide

Accepted Answer 9/4/2012 6:45:01 PM

Cenobite

Leos don't have a spectacle (scale over the eye) like snakes do so i have no idea what this could be. I would leave it alone and get to the vet.

 
Author Comment 9/4/2012 6:46:37 PM

LGray23

Damn how did I not know that?! I know they shedded the inner part of their eye lid, but now that I think about it I've never seen an actualy eye cap. <sigh> now I'm really worried :( guess I'll be making a vert appointment.

 
Member Comment 9/4/2012 6:49:42 PM

Cenobite

Let me know how it goes because now I'm curious as hell..........

 
Member Comment 9/4/2012 7:37:03 PM

Cenobite

In the meantime maybe give her a moist hide?

 
Assisted Answer 9/4/2012 8:18:46 PM

Aimee

if the eye looks a little cloudy it could be an infection?

 
Assisted Answer 9/4/2012 11:13:34 PM

Geckoluv93

My gecko had something like this. It turns out he had an infection. Get your leo in right away!

 
Assisted Answer 9/5/2012 2:39:21 PM

jellyfishrhythm

A lot of the time, retained shed from around the eyelid gets all gunked up and stuck in the eye socket because of a lack of a nice moist hide to allow them to ease it off. When was her last full body shed? If it stays in there, they lick at it, pushing it further into the eye socket, it's going to get infected. Is she favoring the eye and keeping it closed? It's generally a relatively easy thing to treat with antibiotics, luckily. The cloudiness you're seeing likely isn't the eye at all, it's the hard "crust" from the infection forming over the eye. A veterinarian would be able to pop that out pretty easily using a sterilized tool, and then, treating post-removal with eye drops, generally cyclosporine. It can take a while for it to clear up, but it almost always does. The only thing you have to look for is a lot of the time, when a leopard gecko is on eye meds, they won't eat - so be sure to take that into account. 

 

Looking at the photos, I'm almost sure that's what it is. Just get her in for antibiotics, and be patient. She'll come around. :-)

 

For future reference though, a second hide that's kept warm and moist at all times almost always prevents this from happening. You may already have one, and it could just be a freak accident that retained shed got stuck in her precious little eyeball cavity, but I'm just offering the best advice I can. 

 

Let us know how she does! 

 
Author Comment 9/5/2012 3:22:21 PM

LGray23

She is provided a humid hide at all times. I'm making an appointment this week to be seen. Thank you for all the input.

 
Author Comment 9/5/2012 4:32:30 PM

LGray23

Her appointment is at 9am tomorrow.

 
Member Comment 9/6/2012 8:46:03 AM

jellyfishrhythm

Awesome! Good luck :-)

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