What has he done to his eye?

sek

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Hello,

This morning I woke up to find that Sek's eye has a white substance on it. I haven't really seen anything like this before (Pictures attatched) and I'm not quite sure what caused it.
My water levels are normal and it's definitely not a tank mate issue.

Sek is sort of accident prone as well, he always manages to bash himself on something in the tank. I've removed many items a number of times because he's so accident prone.

I'm thinking maybe he has cut his eye on something?
He's also not stressed at all and actually very happy, still has his wonderful appetite and there are no signs of stress. He usually swims away if he's unhappy or stressed, but he's quite happy so I'm hoping it's nothing too serious...

Any help is greatly appreciated!!
 

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It seems gooey to me, although it stays in the same place on his eye. A bit of both I'm thinking? I was thinking maybe a fungus but it's not very cotton-like.

It looks sore as well, he keeps swishing that side of his gills back and making his eye go back into his head. He's eating normally as I just fed him, I hope it's just a cut that will heal in time...
 
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He could have poked it on his hide (which is one of those fake logs that you see in fish tanks) I recently took another one out as I found out that it was extremely sharp so I gave him the one he has now, there's still a possibility that he's cut his eye on the sides of it. He's terrible at cutting himself on things... I'm going to try and get something without any sharp edges for him as soon as I can.
 
It looks like its something behind the lens, but I have no idea how you could treat it at home. I suspect this will need a visit to a vet for this .
 
It looks like it's inside the eye or it may be just me. Maybe he has a cut on his eye so that maybe watercame in? (If that's even possible)
I have never seen this before but luckily he isn't stressed.

(I also have an axie who likes to bash herself around like a freak)
 
It looks like it's inside the eye or it may be just me. Maybe he has a cut on his eye so that maybe watercame in? (If that's even possible)
I have never seen this before but luckily he isn't stressed.

(I also have an axie who likes to bash herself around like a freak)

I'm definitely thinking he's cut his eye on something and water may have got in it.
I will keep an eye on him and if it gets any worse the only vet I can take him to is at the Zoo, but hopefully it won't.

I will keep you updated on his eye.
(That axie of yours made me laugh)
 
When looking at your middle picture i can clearly see it is on the cornea (the outer most part of the eye). Looks to me like a corneal ulcer. Most likely caused by a scratch that becomes infected via bacterial, viral, or fungal means.
 
I have no idea but i think it looks kind of cool, he looks like he has eyes like riddick from The chronicles of riddick :p... Hope he gets better soon...
 
Hi everyone, Sek's eye is looking a little better. It isn't so white now, and it's just looking a little cloudy. Certainly still his happy self and eating as usual, looks a bit sore but not as bad as my first photos. I am still keeping an eye on it 24/7 and I will keep you updated. Thanks for the help!
 
Glad to hear it is looking better. My prediction is that with good water quality and a health immune system he will heal on his own. From my experience with other animals corneal ulcers heal easily but can leave scar tissue causing a cloudy look over the iris. This usually causes a mild field of vision loss, most likely permanent, but will not progress. Axolotls do have amazing regenerative abilities so it's possible that the delicate structures of the eye can heal with no signs of scarring. I am curious to hear what will happen. Please let us see a picture when he is all better. :happy:

The good news is it still doesn't look like a deep injury to me, like a cataract (cloudiness in the lens of the eye). The lens is actually located under the iris (colored part of eye) directly behind the pupil. It would take some serious trauma to effect that deep into the eye. If that was damaged from trauma or often congenital means it would most likely progress and worsen over time, not get better, often causing blindness.

Fun fact: animals without eyelids or eyelashes are more likely to get corneal ulcers. I can't tell you how many hairless rats I've rescues with eye problems due to pine bedding and lack of eyelashes. ouch!
 
Well thats good to hear.
From my experience at the vet (when i was on work experience) the whiteness in his eye was most likely as it has already been said a ulcer. Many animals came into the vet because of being hit in the eye or cut in this case. This looks almost the same as the ulcers i saw then.
Once again great to hear he is better now.
Brad:cool:
 
Hi everyone,

Just an update on Sek's eye. His ulcer is almost completely gone and his eye just looks a bit cloudy now. I'm hoping due to regenerative abilities he'll have some better eyesight in his eye in the future (and not bang into things!)

Thanks everyone on your comments and information, I've learnt a lot from his accident prone tendencies!

I hope this serves a useful purpose to anyone else who has any axolotl eye injuries.
 

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Bless him, looking better.

P.s. dont want to interfere with another member but that stone in the pic looks a pretty dangerous size for the fella. Just concerned.
 
Thanks Daz, I missed how small that one is. It will be removed!
 
OH YAY! He looks much better! I don't even see it anymore! :D
The cloudy scarring will take longer (if it goes away at all) most likely months to years to fully dissipate just like any other scar. But don't you worry. It's no big deal, just mild foggy vision. I imagine it feels like if you were to hold a piece of cheesecloth over your eye.
 
Did you actually do something or did it just go away , natural ?
 
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