red eye in tortoise

[jimjohn]

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Anyone had this problem? My 30 year old desert tortoise has a condition where his eyes suddently bulges with a red membrane that covers his eyes and he is temporarily blinded. It lasts for only a few minutes and then goes away. This only happens once every day or two, usually after he eats a large meal. Appreciate any response. I checked with a local reptile store and they said it could have something to do with pressure build up for some reason.

 

[Yvonne G]

What you are seeing is the nictitating membrane (the third eyelid) swelling up. Some tortoises can make this happen at will, and it is sometimes caused by stress. You can put the Terramycin eye ointment on it two or three times a day and it helps. There might be a little irritation in that eye that is causing it. Take a real close look under a bright light and try to see if maybe the eye is scratched or there's some debris in the eye. At any rate, the ointment will help.

Yvonne

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I have had several animals with that, it's like cherry eye in dogs. The nictitating membrane is inflamed. Use the ointment and you also could flush with sterile water...