Saline drops, not as easy as it looks.

[Kalistina]

So Camo has been blinking funny the past couple days and I figured he might just have something in it. Not puffy, not swollen, not staying closed. It's just a weird slow blink.

I went to CVS and searched for JUST SALINE. (First difficult task.) I found saline for babies in the form of a nose mister. Nothing else added, just saline.

Now I put the mister into a small bowl so I could use a dropper to pick it up and drop some into his eye. Not realizing his skin is completely aquaphobic, even around his eye area. How in the world do you guys do this?!?!

 

[werecat]

Hi there. I have been through the saline eye rinse with my chameleon and can give you my experience. First, I would recommend getting a rinse that is specifically for eyes (or contact lenses). Eyes are very sensitive and although things formulated for the nose may work if they are sterile, I would personally feel most comfortable with something formulated for eyes. However, most products for eyes do contain multiple ingredients besides saline so it can be nerve-wracking to select one. Here are some tips: 1) Make sure it does not contain "conditioners". 2) If it has a red cap on the bottle it is not safe for in eye use but if you are unsure ask the pharmacist. I ended up using a Kirkland (Costco) brand contact lens solution on the recommendation of an experienced forum member.

Besides being made specifically for eyes, these solutions are typically sold in a large squeeze bottle with a small opening at the top. This is needed for the actual chameleon eye rinsing process. Take the squeeze bottle, aim it at the chameleon's eye, and squeeze a forceful stream into the eye, filling up the turret. Obviously take care not to have too forceful a stream, but it must be strong enough to fill the eye turret (you have already seen how it will just roll off the skin around the eye if the stream is not forceful). The chameleon will then do the eye wiggle thing to clean it. Be careful to avoid the stream getting in the nostrils as they can aspirate on the solution. If this does not seem to be helping after a few days I would call a vet. Eye problems can be serious on their own or can indicate a greater problem exists.

PS, this is how my chameleon vet and an experienced forum member showed me how to do it.

 

[Kalistina]

Besides being made specifically for eyes, these solutions are typically sold in a large squeeze bottle with a small opening at the top. This is needed for the actual chameleon eye rinsing process. Take the squeeze bottle, aim it at the chameleon's eye, and squeeze a forceful stream into the eye, filling up the turret. Obviously take care not to have too forceful a stream, but it must be strong enough to fill the eye turret (you have already seen how it will just roll off the skin around the eye if the stream is not forceful). The chameleon will then do the eye wiggle thing to clean it. Be careful to avoid the stream getting in the nostrils as they can aspirate on the solution.

Thank you so much! I looked into the contact lens solution but you're right, they had too many extra added chemicals. That's why I went with a baby safe product. I also dropped it into my eyes first to make sure it didn't burn. *lol*

I'm not going to lie, it's a little intimidating to picture shooting saline into his little eyeball. I will give it a try, but will take him to his vet to see if he can show me and make me a little more comfortable.

I really appreciate your feedback and will go to Costco tomorrow!

 

[junglefries]

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