Chicken Glaucoma? Any Ideas? Is it treatable?

[Jacob42]

I was originally going to post this picture to ask if anyone thought she may be part silkie, but we noticed today she was blind in one eye, when I took this picture I found out why she is blind. We think it appears to be some sort of glaucoma but we thought we would ask those who love their chickens as much as we do for some advise on if anyone has seen this before and if it is treatable? Also if anyone can tell by the blue ear if she may be part silkie?

If anyone has some help it would be greatly appriciated!
thank you very much.

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

Glaucoma is a build-up of pressure in the eyes, & yes, It's treatable. My Boston Terrier is blind with glaucoma, & he gets eyedrops twice a day for the rest of his life, to keep the swelling down, so he won't have to have his eyes removed. Take your chicken to the vet to get a glaucoma test.

 

[handicappersnurse]

I have two hens with cataracts. They developed them when they were about a year old. These hens (one a buff orphington and the other a red star - Peaches and Precious) were part of a chick order two years ago that had chicks in it with avian encephalomyelitis. All of the affected hens survived but one. They had numerous hand vitamin feedings and foot physical therapy sessions. Peaches didn't have bad residual symptoms except for being clumsy at times. Precious never really showed signs of the disease. Later, Peaches was the first to go blind. I nursed her in the house for a few days and then after talking with a professor at the University of Florida who specializes in poultry, I placed her back with the others. She adapted well, but was very distraught that she couldn't see well. Her sight came back a little and she gets around fine, but I can't let her free range with the others because I'm afraid she will get lost. Precious was very upset when she lost her sight, since she was the dominant hen over the seven handicappers that had recovered. She now has regained some of her sight and she can follow my feet and get back to the coop at bedtime. I can't leave her out to free range either, because I'm not sure if she will find her way back to the coop without me. These are my two special girls that stay in a different run when the other girls are out in the yard. They get special attention and are carried around a lot. I don't think your chicken has glaucoma because you usually can't see cloudiness from that. Cataracts, however, look cloudy inside the pupil and yours looks cloudy outside as if it is on the cornea. Perhaps a special vet could diagnose the area for you. If you live near a vet school, they are usually very helpful. Does this same thing appear on both eyes? One thing the professor did say was that the chickens have very good eyesight and when they lose it, it is very stressful for the chicken. They are very good at adapting to their handicap as long as you look after their special needs. Good luck with the diagnosis.

 

[ultasol]

Could it be part fo the inner eyelid covering her eye? It looks like it doesn't cover all of the eye?

 

[Jacob42]

After posting this we wondered about cataracts too but some of this stuff is very hard to find info on google, you really have to word it right.

It does look like there is just a film or something across the eye that can almost be removed but I dont dare touch it with out knowing what to do. I have no idea if there is a vet school around here, that I will look in to.

She does get upset at times and is very aggresive at eating because with just one eye she cannot focus on it very well, she also refuses to use the nesting box, but one of our roosters is also trying to tell the hens to lay in a different area.

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

She might become a ground dweller. It is very hard to judge distance with 1 eye, so she might shy away from nest boxes or perches.

 

[Jacob42]

The area where she sleeps is on a shelf and her favorite jar of food is up there, she does love to sleep on the perch with the Murans because they dont mind her being so pushy while trying to stay warm.

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

After looking at the pic real close, it does look like the inner eyelid. Try sterile eyedrops to see if it loosens up & goes back in.