Chameleon eye issue?

[MiyagiCham]

Hi, I'm new here, but I needed to ask for some help with my Chameleon, Mr. Miyagi.

• Your Chameleon - Male Panther chameleon, around 6 or 7 months old.
• Handling - typically when hand feeding he will crawl onto my arm to eat, so about once a week.
• Feeding - Crickets and mealworms, about 8-10 every other day.
• Supplements - Zoo Med Repti Calcium without D3.
• Watering - Use of both a dripper and a mist bottle. Misting sessions typically last 2-5 minutes. He does drink, but more so from the dripper than the bottle.
• Fecal Description - Brown and white. He has not been tested for parasites.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - I want to say its about 18x36, screen enclosure.
• Lighting - 100 watt lightbulb for heat, compact 5.0 UVB bulb (Unsure about brand, but I think it's either reptisun or zoo med.)
• Temperature - 80-85 on floor, 90-100 in the basking spot.
• Humidity - humidity is anywhere from 50% to 70%. Measured using a temp/humidity thermometer.
• Plants - He did have a small palm tree looking plant about a month ago. It died, so I had to toss it. Now has fake leaves and branches.
• Placement - Cage is located in my room. I'm hardly ever in there. No fans, but there is a central air vent on the opposite side of the room.
• Location - Pennsylvania, in the Philadelphia suburbs.

Current Problem - So about a week or two ago, I went to check on miyagi and noticed that his right eye was closed. He still acts like he normally would, and doesn't appear sick in any way. Clearly he can't see as well with it closed as he has some trouble catching prey. At first I thought he might have had something stuck in it, so I did what any concerned owner would do and looked for ways to help. I heard that a weak saline spray can help clear out their eyes. I've been trying this, but it doesn't seem to help his eye. Showers don't help either, especially since he gets very stressed when I turn it on. I've been growing more and more concerned as the days go on, and started to think he may have a vitamin A deficiency. About a day or two ago, I put a small drop of beta carotene on a mealworm and fed it to him in hopes that it would help. So far, I have not noticed any change in his eye or health, although he is currently shedding. I will try to upload some photos once his eye is cleared of shedding skin. Any advice that could be offered about this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[kinyonga]

How long have you had it?

 

[MiyagiCham]

He's been with me for about 8 months now. When I bought him they told us he was a month and a half old, but looking back at his size I believe he was only a few days old.

 

[kinyonga]

How old is the UVB? Sometimes compact UVB lights can bother the eyes.

There is controversy as to whether chameleons can convert beta carotene or not so when a chameleon has signs of a vitamin A issue usually it is given a bit of prEformed vitamin A..a form that is already converted and can be overdosed. Beta carotene is prOformed...converted by the body as needed and cannot be overdosed. I'm not sure if they can convert it or not. There is more of a problem/concern with panthers than veileds.

 

[MiyagiCham]

The UVB is only about 3 or 4 months old. I did hear about the eye issues caused by the compact bulbs as well and have been trying not to use it too much. Of course, he still needs UV so I can't completely get rid of it. I will look into purchasing a better bulb. Also, I just came back home and went to check on him. He has shed his skin and his eye is open now, though it does look rather deflated and irritated. Could he have had some debris stuck in it? And if so, is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening in the future?