Something in the eye!

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maskedup

Member
Hi, my beardie was digging in sand one day and had sand in its eyes.
So I flushed it with saline solution using a syringe to get all the sand out.
but now i notice there seem to be something inside its eyes, like some kind of flesh.
I kept flushing it but it doesnt come out.
My beardie mostly keeps that eye closed, sometime it squeeze its eyes to move that pinkish thing but it is still there.

Anyone have any experience with that? what do i do?
is it serious? seems physical, no big swell or anything like that

 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
I can't see anything there but you can use raw unpasteurized honey directly in the eye to reduce any tissue swelling or help if there's infection. It may sound odd but it's a wonderful antimicrobial. I used it on 2 of my beardies in the past, worked very quickly. You mix a few drops of honey with a tiny bit of warm water , mix and apply with a Q-tip or eyedropper.
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
The flesh you're seeing may be the nictitating membrane which is a normal part of their eye. It's like an extra eyelid that they can use to protect their eye and help keep it moistened. Flushing the sand using saline was the right way to go about addressing the original issue. Hopefully that has been cleared out now.
 

maskedup

Member
Original Poster
Thank you for the input guys! Really appreciate it.

The pinkish thing on the right side (towards the snout) is there after i cleared up the sand in the eye.
The other eye does does not have that or is not visible, so I am a little worried.
It's good to hear if it's the normal part of the eye but hes constantly keeping the eyes closed and sometimes forms a little crust on the eyelids that keeps the eyes closed.
So whenever I come home from work, i'll flush or wipe the eyes with water or saline solution, then it will be open-able. No swelling though, but there's a slight swelling after i keep flushing the eyes.

The honey thing is interesting, can i just get any honey from the supermarket? or is there a specific one i need?
 

Martadragon017

Hatchling Member
I've heard that it's best to use Manuka honey. I'm not sure if other honeys are good too, but if your supermarket sells Manuka honey, I would get that. If there isn't any at your supermarket, it might be sold in some of the healthier grocery stores.
 

maskedup

Member
Original Poster
Martadragon017":3tfzblae said:
I've heard that it's best to use Manuka honey. I'm not sure if other honeys are good too, but if your supermarket sells Manuka honey, I would get that. If there isn't any at your supermarket, it might be sold in some of the healthier grocery stores.

Holy, manuka honey is like the louie vuitton of honeys.
I'm gonna try Y.S. Eco Bee Farms, Raw Honey, U.S. Grade A . It is raw and unpasteurized.
It should have the same antiviral and antibacterial properties.
Will keep you posted!
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Raw/unpasteurized honey is fine (and much more affordable) and should work just as well. Please keep us posted =).
 
maskedup":2fbskhg1 said:
The pinkish thing on the right side (towards the snout) is there after i cleared up the sand in the eye.
The other eye does does not have that or is not visible, so I am a little worried.

It can be completely normal for a nictitating membrane to be visible after eye irritation. Even if you got all the sand out the delicate tissue was still badly irritated and it takes time for that to heal. In the mean time the membrane comes out to protect the damaged tissue while it is healing. It's often called a third eyelid and appears whenever super extra protection is required.

Keep a close watch on it and if more redness appears, you see any sort of discharge at all, or the membrane doesn't recede in a few days I'd see my vet. Could be there is more sand in there or it could become infected and need antibiotic eye drops.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

It looks just irritated to me but no swelling. Did you remove any sand in the tank?
What lighting are you using currently?
I would recommend continuing to flush out the eye daily with the sterile saline solution
& you could consider using the raw unpasteurized or manuka honey (warmed slightly &
thinned out with water), daily to help in case there is some built up bacteria in it.

Tracie
 

maskedup

Member
Original Poster
Drache613":2agcerz2 said:
Hello,

It looks just irritated to me but no swelling. Did you remove any sand in the tank?
What lighting are you using currently?
I would recommend continuing to flush out the eye daily with the sterile saline solution
& you could consider using the raw unpasteurized or manuka honey (warmed slightly &
thinned out with water), daily to help in case there is some built up bacteria in it.

Tracie

Hi, I've been flushing with saline solution after which i dabbed it with raw honey solution with a q-tip.
Good thing is, there's no swelling. But it still keeps the eyes squinting and the nictitating membrane still very visible which is worrying. Not sure what is the issue or will it ever go back to normal.

I have removed the sand and using newspaper as substrate now.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
You can get some textured non adhesive shelf liner from Home Depot Lowes etc for substrate-- its cheap and easy to clean w/ vinegar/ water 50/50 in a spray bottle - or slated ceramic tile works too - bought at the same place cleaned the same way - tile would haft to be cut to tank size w/ a tile cutter
Karrie
 

maskedup

Member
Original Poster
So far all the flushing and raw honey doesn't seem to work. :(
I'm worried if it is going to end up permanent.
Seems like it is a physical injury, and not an infection.
Does anyone know if the nictitating membrane is sheddable?
Or does anyone have any other tips on this? thank you in advance
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Sorry to hear the flushing & treatments haven't helped much
They don't shed the nicitating membrane. Does it look irritated? You could also try getting
some chamomile tea bags & at night, place a warm, moist tea bag on the eye before bedtime
for a 5-10 minute stint; daily. It has healing properties too.
You may want to get him in to see the vet to see if they can take a look at it with a scope. It
might have a few grains of sand trapped in the area causing some issues.

Tracie
 

maskedup

Member
Original Poster
Drache613":w8be89q0 said:
Hello,

Sorry to hear the flushing & treatments haven't helped much
They don't shed the nicitating membrane. Does it look irritated? You could also try getting
some chamomile tea bags & at night, place a warm, moist tea bag on the eye before bedtime
for a 5-10 minute stint; daily. It has healing properties too.
You may want to get him in to see the vet to see if they can take a look at it with a scope. It
might have a few grains of sand trapped in the area causing some issues.

Tracie

It doesn't look irritated as in he doesn't scratch it or anything, it's just constantly closed.
There's no signs of swell, but when he opens that eye, the presumably nictitating membrane is visibly pink and covers about 40% of the eye. I could not see any debris in the eye.

I really dont have any idea what i could do as there is not much information on this particular sign online. I'm just flushing it daily and hoping it heals over time.

Frankly, I don't think my local vet would help as the only reptiles allowed here are red eared sliders. And I'm pretty sure they are not specialised in lizards and would probably cost a premium.
 

prestonphelps

New member
i just got my baby beardie two days ago and i’ve noticed above it’s eye it will twitch when it’s eyes are shut. is that okay or what should i do to prevent that?
 
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