Won’t open eye - PLEASE HELP!

My beardie just woke up and he won’t open his left eye at all. He looks like he keeps trying to open but it doesn’t open. Please help I’m really worried. I have a reptisun 36” tube with a reflector hood.

I got it open. I dripped some water on it and it opened. I now know the reason it wasn’t opening was because of this clear goopy stuff that had kind of dried his eye shut. He has had this goopy stuff in his left eye for a while but I didn’t think anything of it until now. Anyone know what it is? I can’t post a pic right now because I just cleared it away. Any suggestions or ideas of how to fix it?

Probably mucous buildup. You can usually wash this away with water or plain saline as you did. It can form as result of an infection or as a reaction to irritation which can be caused by something caught in the eye (particle substrate does this sometimes) or shedding skin. If the buildup continues or gets worse/thicker it's worth having a sample tested for infection and treated if there is nothing caught in the eye or no face shed.

Thanks for the reply. This has been happening for a few weeks now. I would clear all the mucous away every few days when there was enough to clear away. It’s not his substrate because it’s shelf linear. Could it be because I switched him over to squash as his daily veggies. Sometimes he makes a mess and is it a possibility that it is irratating his eye? Also could it be the lights? He has a exo terra +75% intense 100w bulb and a 36” reptisun uvb tube. He is also a juvenile so he sheds quite often. It’s also only ever in his left eye. My parents don’t want to take him to the vet so do you have any ideas or how to treat it myself?

I don't think squash would cause a problem (it's actually quite good to offer to them). The lights sound fine too as long as they are directly overhead (rather than at an angle) and well out of reach. it could be irritation from some dry skin or maybe a dirt particle although I think he'd probably clear dirt pretty quickly. Keep rinsing it out with saline and look closely for small bits of shed around the eye lid. Using a curved plastic syringe sometimes helps get a bit more power with it but you still want to be gentile around their eyes. Just enough to loosen the grime. Terramycin is commonly prescribed to treat eye infections but I would be very hesitant to offer medication without proper diagnosis so that the proper medication is used to target an identified infection source. You could also try some raw/unpasteurized honey. This sometimes has a positive effect on eye injuries and helps healing. Mix with a little water if needed and apply around the eye gently with a q-tip. I would hold off on this until the saline solution doesn't clear it up though.

Thanks for the help. I will give the saline solution a try. Is there any way to tell if it’s an infection or just a irritation?

Not without having a vet take a sample and run a culture to see what grows. That's why if a vet visit isn't doable then I would stick with saline for a bit and see how that goes and then try some honey if it doesn't help.

If the buildup doesn't happen quickly then it could just be from a weepy eye or a blocked tear duct drain (there is a dye test for this). There isn't much to do about that except try to keep the eye well rinsed.

Ok thanks for all the help. I really appreciate it!