Make Panther Eye Problem Help!!!!

[OzzytheChameleon]

My male panther has been having eye problems for the past
Month. Before this, he had it when I got him about 8 months ago. At that time, I had taken him to the vet who basically told me his eyes looked fine but gave me eye drops anyway which I had really started using this recent time. I feed him gut loaded super worms dusted in multivitamins but he eats about every 4 days now (give or take) due to his eye problem. It appears he has gunk in them and typically has issues opening them. I'm super hesitant on taking him back to the vet because she said nothing was wrong but it had costed me a ton of money. I shower him almost every day so he can clear it up but that only last for a little bit. Here's a picture of him after the shower with his eyes open (he can see decently enough to move around and eat after the shower but then closes them after) and a picture of it shut. Any ideas????

 

[OzzytheChameleon]

Also, his name is Ozzy and he's about one year old. He's never had issues eating or drinking or seeing until this happened. He drinks water every time he's in the shower as well so I know he's drinking.

 

[carol5208]

What kind of drops do you have? You need something that is an antibiotic if there is an infection. It is hard to tell, but it looks like there might be one.

 

[werecat]

I know it can be frustrating when the vet can't find anything wrong, but keep trying. Sometimes it takes a vet more than one visit to diagnose a problem depending on what symptoms are showing. Or try another vet who specializes in chameleons or even an animal ophthalmologist. If you are seeing crust and discharge there is likely an infection that will only clear up with the proper medicine.

My vet, who is a great chameleon vet, tried multiple times to pinpoint what was wrong with my cham's eye and we eventually decided it was a degenerative disease. He went completely blind in that eye and is no longer able to shoot accurately enough to catch prey. We will have to hand feed him the rest of his life. If you can save the eye it's worth it!

I noticed you said you feed him super worms. Is that the only feeder? They are known to not be very nutritious. Chameleons need a variety in their diet to get the best range of nutrition. If you want to have a staple feeder that you feed most often super worms are not a very good choice. Try crickets or Dubai roaches. Then make sure you give soft worms too like horn worms and silkworms. Eye problems have been known to be caused by nutritional deficiencies so that could be the problem too. Or part of it.

Best of luck!