Unidentified object/worm/growth in eye (with a pic)

[FeatherToad]

One of my Leghorn Hens has something strange going on with one of her eyes... something white, opaque, and roughly 2mm x 6mm long, and very hard to photograph

its on the lower part of her cornea, in the vicinity of her iris. At first I was sure it was a worm... but it hasn't moved at all in the last 48 hours..

A month back the whole flock came down with dry pox; this gal had what I assumed was pox lesion on her upper eyelid. Overall she took a while longer than everyone else to recover from the rest of her pox lesions. The swelling of her eyelid wet down and all seemed normal for a couple weeks until I noticed this white thing pop up very suddenly, what the heck is it!?

 

[Eggcessive]

It's possible that you are seeing an eye worm, which can be common in tropical areas. I would seek a vet if possible, in case it is scar tissue, or something else. Oxyspirura Mansoni isthe name of the eye worm in chickens, and it can be treated off-label with Valbazen 1/2 ml given orally, Valbazen and water in equal parts applied into the eye, and then repeat both of these with 10-14 days. Other products recommended online are 5% cresol solution (the active ingredient in Lysol, which should be immediately rinsed out of the eye afterward) and levamisole, another type of dewormer. A vet may also remove it directly from the eye under anesthesia. There is not a lot of information about dealing with this problem, and although products such as VetRX claim to treat it, I am doubtful that it works. Here is some reading about eye worm:
http://parasitipedia.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2654&Itemid=2943

From THE MERCK VETERINARY MANUAL:

Eggs of Oxyspirura mansoni, Manson eyeworm, are deposited in the eye, reach the pharynx via the nasolacrimal duct, are swallowed, passed in the feces, and ingested by the Surinam cockroach, Pycnoscelus surinamensis. Larvae reach the infective stage in the cockroach. When infected intermediate hosts are eaten, liberated larvae migrate up the esophagus to the mouth and then through the nasolacrimal duct to the eye, where the cycle is completed. Other insect species may also serve as the intermediate host.

Oxyspirura mansoni is a slender nematode, 12–18 mm long, found beneath the nictitating membrane of chickens and other fowl in tropical and subtropical regions. The parasite causes various degrees of inflammation, lacrimation, corneal opacity, and disturbed vision.

As a treatment for Manson eyeworm, a local anesthetic can be applied to the eye, and the worms in the lacrimal sac exposed by lifting the nictitating membrane. A 5% cresol solution (1–2 drops) placed in the lacrimal sac kills the worms immediately. The eye should be irrigated with sterile water immediately to wash out the debris and excess solution. The eyes improve within 48–72 hr and gradually become clear if the destructive process caused by the parasite is not too far advanced.

 

[FeatherToad]

Just an update for anyone who stumbles across this thread later:
Whatever that white object was in my hen's eye broke up into small pieces that sort of slowly disintegrated over the course of ten or so days.

Still not sure what the heck it was, but she never seemed bothered by it so I decided not to go to the vet.