Leopard Gecko Eye Slightly Swollen_ Shed Problem

[bettashawn]

I have a leopard gecko with one eye slightly swollen. She sleeps with it slightly open, for it cannot fully close. The 'crease' of the eyelid is almost not there anymore, but she retains the ability to open her eye (not fully). Sight is good, just the swollen eyelid. I CAN see a little bit of shed in the very corner of her eye, but I am fearing taking that out with tweezers (poking her eyes). How could I safely remove this shed form the corner of her eye without harm, and maybe ease the swelling.

EDIT:

I have observed that "Simply Saline" could be used to relieve the eyes of geckos slightly. I do not have that available, but I DO have the following:

-Optive Lubricant Eye Drops
-Refresh Liquigel Lubricant Eye Drops
- Sterile Visiline 'Tears' Lubricant Eye drops

Would any of these work on behalf of Simply Saline? PLeaseeeee help.


Thanks.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Eyes are a sensitive subject. If it were my gecko I would take them to the vet immediately. Retained shed should not make an eye swell as much as you describe. It could be an infection that goes deeper than the little thing you see. I would NEVER put tweezers anywhere near a gecko's eye. If they get startled and turn quickly, of if you flinch, it does not take much to puncture their eyeball and then you're in a whole new situation that could require surgery or euthanasia. If you have experience working with animals you could try to flush the eye out with sterile saline. I'm not sure I would use anything other than saline on a gecko. OTC things made for humans may have additives that could harm your gecko. IMO your best course of action would be to seek veterinary care.

 

[bettashawn]

Unfortunately a snow storm has rolled in today, and is continuing for most of the week. She is eating, sleeping, acting, and defecating normally. 'Tis swollen, but not to an EXTREME extent as I see in many pictures, as where the eye looks like it will literally fall out of the socket. I believe I might have irritated it in someway while removing leftover shed from the face: error.

 

[animateash]

My 4yr old female recently experienced a similar eye issue. A piece of shed got stuck under the lower lid, towards the front. There wasn't much, if any, swelling, but she was walking around like a pirate, one eye closed. I used Q-tips dipped in warm water to encourage the eye open, then gently swab the glob of irritant out of the corner. Once I definitely had an edge to grab, I used eyebrow tweezers to pull it out. Yeah, I know. I'm probably going to catch hell for doing that, but frankly I figured that's what a vet would end up using anyway, and I trust myself to do it with more care. I do a lot of detailed sewing work and trust my steadiness, plus my gecko is calm when I hold her appropriately. I successfully removed a chunk of shed the size of a popcorn seed hull, and she improved so much following that. I'm NOT saying everyone should take this chance! If you think there's even a remote chance of a poke, have a vet do it instead. In any case, I do think its a good idea to go for a vet visit to see if there are any eye gels or antibiotics that can help heal her faster, especially with the swelling you mentioned. I've got my vet visit booked, just to cover my bases even now that the debris is out. Suggestions I've gotten for what to put on the eye include Gentamicin, saline solution, eye drops for pink eye, and black tea (the blandest, non-spiced you can get). Different sources reported that all these things helped heal to varying degrees.

 

[katie_]

None of those products are saline. Saline is pure, DO NOT put any medication in your geckos eye unless a vet has prescribed you one.
"Drops for pink eye" is very vague and not good advice. Eyes are very sensitive and not to be messed with.
Black tea has properties that can help draw out infection, but should not be used as a substitute for medical care.