Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My female veiled's eye was partly closed yesterday, with some whitish discharge so i sprayed her face down seriosly with 80 degree water, she rubbed it on some branches and it seemed better- today It hasnt opened at all yet,and the same white crap on it- i sprayed her eye down agian and she rubbed it, but it hasnt begun to clear up- shes in an all screen cage with an ambient temp of 85- a 95 degree basking spot and shaded areas- gutload my crickets and mineral dust (could using too much vitamins have cuased this?) every other day- she has constant access to running water and gets misted 3 times a day-any advise as to how i can help her? and also, how serious is this? How long should it take to clear up, and how do i avoid this in the future? also it might help to know that she is about 4 months old and I am (obviously) new to keeping chameleons.

If there is discolored material in the eye this is the time for a vet. Many cham eye problems can be helped by changes in husbandry, but once there is a likely sign of actual infection you will need a vet to culture and identify the bacteria and prescribe the proper antibiotic. Most any vet can at least do a sensitivity culture and get the right drug. There are tetracycline eye ointments on the market, but it is safest to get the sensitivity culture done first before putting ANYTHING over the counter in an eye. If the bacteria isn't sensitive to tetracycline it could become much more serious. Don't take risks with eyes. You could do more damage. Until you can get an exam give the frequent showers to help her clean it. Also you can squirt sterile saline (contact lens solution) at the eye and gently wipe away the material with a Q tip. The saline will sting less than plain water.

I agree with Carlton. However, I'll add one more thing. Your basking temp is OK for adult (but not a baby) veiled but an ambient temp of 85 is WAY too high. The ambient temp should be in the low 70s.
Ed