Help strange white spot on eye

[Meggy22]

Can anyone please help me and tell me what this white spot is? She is two years old, a bit lethargic and not eating as much as normal.

 

[SmiYa0126]

Looks like she's going blind, cataracts...is her eye swollen? It's hard to tell? Clean her eye with saline and the put Neosporin on it. Is her other eye ok?

 

[Meggy22]

Looks like she's going blind, cataracts...is her eye swollen? It's hard to tell? Clean her eye with saline and the put Neosporin on it. Is her other eye ok?

No its not swollen. We think she went blind in the other eye last year as it's a bit cloudy.

 

[microchick]

I'm thinking she has an injury. It's hard to tell due to the darkness of the picture but the 'spot' doesn't look like it is on the pupil.

Could she have been pecked?

 

[Meggy22]

I'm thinking she has an injury. It's hard to tell due to the darkness of the picture but the 'spot' doesn't look like it is on the pupil.

Could she have been pecked?

She could have been pecked. The spot is definitely looks to be on the surface of the eye rather than inside if that helps? I thought it might be something more as she's off her food

 

[microchick]

It never hurts to separate her in a pen where she can still be with the rest of the flock, flush the eye with some normal saline eye wash (contact lens moisturizing drops) and give her a baby aspirin for pain. You can keep an eye on her that way and keep her safe from further injury.

Also keeping her out of bright sunlight will be more comfortable for her.

It also wouldn't hurt to smear some bacitracin antibiotic salve on her eye. If you don't have that you can use triple antibiotic ointment. Don't worry about getting it in her eye. If you smear it on her eyelid, it will melt and run into her eye.

If it's an injury, it hurts the same as your eye would.

Do you think she is totally blind in one eye? How so? Have you tested to see if she flinches if you make a sudden movement near her eye? Is it a congenital blindness?

 

[SmiYa0126]

Does her pupil respond when you bring your finger to her eye?

 

[Meggy22]

It never hurts to separate her in a pen where she can still be with the rest of the flock, flush the eye with some normal saline eye wash (contact lens moisturizing drops) and give her a baby aspirin for pain. You can keep an eye on her that way and keep her safe from further injury.

Also keeping her out of bright sunlight will be more comfortable for her.

It also wouldn't hurt to smear some bacitracin antibiotic salve on her eye. If you don't have that you can use triple antibiotic ointment. Don't worry about getting it in her eye. If you smear it on her eyelid, it will melt and run into her eye.

If it's an injury, it hurts the same as your eye would.

Do you think she is totally blind in one eye? How so? Have you tested to see if she flinches if you make a sudden movement near her eye? Is it a congenital blindness?

Thank you so much for your reply. I will have a look around and see what antibiotic ointment we can get in our country. We think she is totally blind in the left eye she doesn't flinch when you go close and she does walk into things on that side.

 

[microchick]

Does her pupil respond when you bring your finger to her eye?

Optometric nurse for 7 years and a nurse for 40.

Only one thing will happen if you bring a finger to her eye. If she can see she will flinch away. Try it on yourself or a willing human victim.

To check pupillary response you have to use a pin light or small flash light in a darkened or dimly lit room. Pass the light back and forth across the eye and watch the pupil. Normal pupil reaction will mean that the pupil will constrict and dilate accordingly.

Thank you so much for your reply. I will have a look around and see what antibiotic ointment we can get in our country. We think she is totally blind in the left eye she doesn't flinch when you go close and she does walk into things on that side.

Probably checking her pupil on that side is a moot point if she is totally blind in that eye.

Look for an antibiotic ointment that DOES NOT have pain relief written on the tube. NO PAIN RELIEF in the ointment. Contraindicated in use for chickens.

You mentioned she wasn't eating well. If her eye hurts not surprised. Corneal abrasions can be extremely painful. There are more nerve endings on the human cornea than on the whole area of the back. Imagine it is the same for chickens. Eyes are eyes after all.

You can try giving her a little canned tuna or some scrambled egg. When I have a bird that isn't eating well I give them some scrambled egg mixed with a little wet feed to make a mash. They usually gobble it down. Scrambled egg by themselves. Even finely chopped hard boiled egg yolk is a favorite of mine.

I keep a probiotic/vitamin on hand that I will add a pinch of to their water or their food and mix well to help with the stress of not feeling well.

 

[Meggy22]

Optometric nurse for 7 years and a nurse for 40.

Only one thing will happen if you bring a finger to her eye. If she can see she will flinch away. Try it on yourself or a willing human victim.

To check pupillary response you have to use a pin light or small flash light in a darkened or dimly lit room. Pass the light back and forth across the eye and watch the pupil. Normal pupil reaction will mean that the pupil will constrict and dilate accordingly.


Probably checking her pupil on that side is a moot point if she is totally blind in that eye.

Look for an antibiotic ointment that DOES NOT have pain relief written on the tube. NO PAIN RELIEF in the ointment. Contraindicated in use for chickens.

You mentioned she wasn't eating well. If her eye hurts not surprised. Corneal abrasions can be extremely painful. There are more nerve endings on the human cornea than on the whole area of the back. Imagine it is the same for chickens. Eyes are eyes after all.

You can try giving her a little canned tuna or some scrambled egg. When I have a bird that isn't eating well I give them some scrambled egg mixed with a little wet feed to make a mash. They usually gobble it down. Scrambled egg by themselves. Even finely chopped hard boiled egg yolk is a favorite of mine.

I keep a probiotic/vitamin on hand that I will add a pinch of to their water or their food and mix well to help with the stress of not feeling well.

Thank you so much for all your help and information! She is a little better today pecking around at some hay so that's been good to see. Poor thing I had no idea how painful it must have been for her.