Are these eyedrops ok? (additional saline question)

[Tyaeda]

So the vet gave me these eye drops to put in my chameleons eye 3 times a day.

The medicine is called Ciloxan .3%.
(Ciprofloxacin Hydrochloride) Ophthalmic Solution, Antibacterial Agent.

The vet does not think he has an infection, these drops are to prevent one. I was having eye problems yesterday if you want to read up on it: https://www.chameleonforums.com/veiled-sudden-eye-problem-115984/

Does anyone here have experience with these drops? Also, the vet told me not to use the saline solution I have for wounds. The ingredients are "Water, 0.9% sodium chloride" which is the most pure solution I could find. The ones I saw for eye cleansing had moisturizers, ph balancing agents, and a bunch of other medical and non-medical ingredients that I couldn't begin to pronounce. The vet said to use those instead, but I do not feel comfortable with that.

The wound saline is in a pressurized can, so I spray a bunch in a clean up and use a liquid medicine syringe and lightly spray a small stream on his eye for a second or two. I haven't actually shot it into his eye in an attempt to fill it yet... I'm still on the fence. I have absolutely no eyeball washing experience, and Mr.Pink is not a guinea pig

The last thing I want to do is make matters worse. My reptile vet options are extremely limited. Maybe one of the vets here can give a second opinion on these products?

 

[laurie]

The biggest thing you need to avoid is thimerosal.
It is in a lot of contact solution and lots of people react badly to it. I am not sure about chams, so I keep it away from my chams also.

Sorry I know nothing about the eye drops your vet gave you.

 

[Carlton]

So the vet gave me these eye drops to put in my chameleons eye 3 times a day.

The medicine is called Ciloxan .3%.
(Ciprofloxacin Hydrochloride) Ophthalmic Solution, Antibacterial Agent.

The vet does not think he has an infection, these drops are to prevent one. I was having eye problems yesterday if you want to read up on it: https://www.chameleonforums.com/veiled-sudden-eye-problem-115984/

Does anyone here have experience with these drops? Also, the vet told me not to use the saline solution I have for wounds. The ingredients are "Water, 0.9% sodium chloride" which is the most pure solution I could find. The ones I saw for eye cleansing had moisturizers, ph balancing agents, and a bunch of other medical and non-medical ingredients that I couldn't begin to pronounce. The vet said to use those instead, but I do not feel comfortable with that.

The wound saline is in a pressurized can, so I spray a bunch in a clean up and use a liquid medicine syringe and lightly spray a small stream on his eye for a second or two. I haven't actually shot it into his eye in an attempt to fill it yet... I'm still on the fence. I have absolutely no eyeball washing experience, and Mr.Pink is not a guinea pig

The last thing I want to do is make matters worse. My reptile vet options are extremely limited. Maybe one of the vets here can give a second opinion on these products?

Look at it this way...sterile saline contact lens solution is meant for occular use and it will end up in human eyes. The moisturizers, ph balancers don't cause problems that I can tell and they do reduce discomfort caused by sticking something alien in your eyes for hours every day. I am pretty sure thimerosal is a preservative but you can find brands without it. I have also used lens solution to flush out cham eyes for years too. Plain water stings eyes because it is chemically less saline than tears. Saline rinses are more similar to tears so they sting a lot less. There may be some occular rinses that have more unnecessary ingredients out there, but the basic stuff from known brands will probably all have some of them. If they are safe for human eyes they should be safe for cham eyes.

FWIW, Ciprofloxacin is a broad spectrum antibiotic. This may simply be a dilute formulation of it. The hydrochloride is basically salt...or saline.

 

[d3s5]

The biggest thing you need to avoid is thimerosal.
It is in a lot of contact solution and lots of people react badly to it. I am not sure about chams, so I keep it away from my chams also.

Sorry I know nothing about the eye drops your vet gave you.

Yes, thimerosal is used as a preservative in a lot of products. I only have ONE allergy and that is to thimerosal! Usually anything for "sensitive eyes" doesn't have it and it states so on the bottle.

I am currently dealing with an eye problem also. My vet gave me an antibiotic ointment with a Vaseline consistency. It's called Triple-B Opthalmic Ointment. I have to apply it to his eye twice a day for ten days.

Good Luck with your cham.

Deb

 

[Tyaeda]

Thanks folks! I've been giving him his drops, but I haven't had a chance to get the saline for him. He seems to be responding to the drops, although his eye is still closed most of the time, especially when he's just basking. If he's moving around, or I'm bugging him (he doesn't like me anymore... I'm the mean eye drop lady now) he'll open it, and it's plump and open all the way when he, which is a big improvement.

He's not missing his food anymore. I gave him a couple pieces of strawberry for a treat, and he gobbled it right up

 

[werecat]

I'm no expert, but since I have been flushing my chameleon's eye with saline for the last week I would advise using a solution specifically for eyes like the contact solution. The one I got from Costco (Kirkland brand) does not have thimerosal but I don't know if you have Costco in Canada. I'm sure you can find a regular drugstore brand that does not have that ingredient. As far as being nervous about doing it and filling up the turret, I completely understand. We were very nervous about doing it and were lucky enough to have an experienced forum member come to our house and show us how the first time. That said, it has not been as horrible as I thought it would be and I really think the only concern is to make sure the stream does not get in his nostril. Give a good squirt, then give him a break, then give him another squirt, then break. We've been giving about three squirts at each treatment. He totally hates it but it does seem to help. Also, I make sure to monitor him for about 10 to 15 minutes after the treatment just to make sure he did not aspirate anything or have any complications.

 

[Tyaeda]

Yeah, Mr.Pink hates getting eyedrops!! I feel so bad for him

I don't know if there's anyone nearby that can show me how to do the saline, so I'll have to look into it more. I doubt the vet's done it before...