Eye Issue poll

[jojackson]

I have noticed a large amount of threads regarding eye issues with chameleons kept indoors, but
very few mentioning eye issues with chams kept outdoors or freeranged.
I suspect the high level of pollutants in our homes from microscopic dust/fibres etc play a large part.
This poll is to get an idea if issues with cham eyes are more common indoors or not.
you may answer more than one choice.

Poll Page: http://www.yourfreepoll.com/qqigfgmgsp.html
Poll Results Page: http://www.yourfreepoll.com/qqigfgmgsr.html

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Interesting thought, but maybe your results will be skewed by the overrepresentation of indoor problems because the majority of keepers keep their chams indoors. Most of the US is inhospitable to chams being outdoors more than a few months out of the year (Florida and most of California excluded), if even that long. I wouldn't be altogether surprised if it had a noticeable effect, but I think it will be difficult to accurately measure since the overwhelming majority keeps their chams indoors and it's hard to say whether or not their problems would be the same outside since that comparison often doesn't exist. I'll be interested in the results nonetheless.

 

[kinyonga]

I certainly wish there would be more follow-up information on the chameleons who do/did get eye issues so maybe we could get more of an idea of what was done that worked to cure them. They pop up way too often to suit me! (no pun intended)

In all the years of my chameleon keeping, I have only had three or 4 eye issues.

One was a WC dwarf jackson's...started a day or two after her arrival...she died a few days after it started...vet never came up with an answer even after the autopsy.

One was a meller's...came to me with a sinus infection that was operated on and the eye swelled up after the surgery...likely the swelling was due to the surgery/disturbance of the tissues around that area.

Another was a LTC WC panther chameleon....first vet tried to treat it for an infection...it only got worse...second vet determined that it was cancer of the eye....removed the eye and the chameleon lived for a year or two after that...and he was at least 5 when he had the surgery.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Another was a LTC WC panther chameleon....first vet tried to treat it for an infection...it only got worse...second vet determined that it was cancer of the eye....removed the eye and the chameleon lived for a year or two after that...and he was at least 5 when he had the surgery.

Aww! Do you have any pictures of your one-eyed chameleon? That would look so weird...

 

[jojackson]

I certainly wish there would be more follow-up information on the chameleons who do/did get eye issues so maybe we could get more of an idea of what was done that worked to cure them. ....

Exactly, so many posted yet zero diagnosis or answers.
I highly suspect given the nature of the chameleon eye, that the vast majority
are merely temporary and/or recurring accounts where the animal is merely
having trouble removing built up debris from the eye, leading to irritation.
The fact it is often releived by showering or flushing the eye (if only temporaily)
seems to point this way.
Given the chameleon eye has a relativly small opening, yet a large internal area (turret)
along with their habit of turning the eye inside the turret, leads me to beleive it's
an ineffecient method of removing debris.
debris may be shifted around inside the turret rather than ejected from the eye opening,
that tiny opening easily gets gummed up, making it difficult in some cases for it to get it open without assistance.
I suspect habitats subjected to regular mistings from above (misting systems) helps elimenate airborn debris and may lessen the chances of eye issues for those animals.

Its an irritation to me that eye issues with chameleons remain mysterious and that no
solid causes are determined, nor course of action to prevent them, despite being such a common chameleon problem.
Im hoping this thread can shed some more light on the problem and that people can put forth their thoughts on the matter in hopes of improving our husbandry in this regard.
cheers

 

[kinyonga]

I agree that its irritating that eye issues seem to have so few answers.
It seems to me that panther chameleons have the biggest number of eye issues, BTW.