Short information for eye problems
Main Symptoms: Eyes look unusual.
Causes: Injuries, bacteria, parasites, worms etc.
Curability: Curable
Treatment: Lots of water changes, remedies
symptoms
external symptoms
- One eye or both eyes are prominent.
- One eye or both eyes are inflamed red.
- The eyes seem cloudy.
- It appears as if a thick, cloudy lens is placed over the actual eye.
- One eye or both eyes are sunken.
- One or both eyes are missing.
Behave
internal symptoms
photos
Photo: Daniel Kern
Fire Blue with dull eye
Photo: Fritz Garritzmann
Butterfly cichlid with gloomy goggle eyes
Photo: Jenni Daus
Red from Rio with goggle eyes
Photo: Catherine Küper
Honey gourami with cloudy goggle eyes
Photo: Lizzy T
White Black Molly with an inflamed eye. The cause is probably an injury.
Photo: Andre Reddie
Azure chichlid with a blind eye. Causes can be injuries, eg in ranking fights, or bacterial infections.
About 10 days before the photos above were taken, one eye of the pictured Aulonocara turkiz quickly enlarged and became cloudy. After that, the condition stabilized for a few days, but then got worse. The animal ate, but was restless. Because the animal had already been in the aquarium for 1.5 years and had just become a father, the cause could have been an injury that then became infected.
For comparison, the right, healthy eye:
After additional red spots appeared in the eyes, it was treated with Bactopur direct. After the treatment, the eye appeared bright, hollow and luminous on the inside when viewed from a certain angle. In the photos (below) the eye is white due to the flash light. Overall, the animal appeared to be on the mend.
About 10 days later the eye got worse. It seemed empty, as if one could «look in». The bottom of the eye appeared «eaten away», faded, or rotted. So the floor was no longer black but white (light).
From the outside, the eye might have been a bit cloudy, but not bad. Fish often have worse eyes from being transported or caught.
The animal was definitely blind in the left eye as evidenced by swimming and reacting to objects and eating. The other eye was ok.
It was then treated with Bactopur direct (Nifurpirinol) again for 5 days. No change was evident after 5 days. The eye hadn’t gotten any smaller, maybe even a bit cloudier. From the inside it looked like all the black that is normally in the eye was gone. Everything was bright there. But the animal became more active again.
Photos: Helena (Forum)
The last three photos were taken without flash. The eye now appeared to be slightly pink inside.
Photo: Yannik Grether
Ruby barb with a blind eye. The animal suddenly got a white eye. Possibly a fungal infection or a bacterial infection. Despite treatment in a quarantine tank, the fish died after 2 weeks. In the end, the eye was almost completely black. The ruby barb swam normally and ate until the end.
causes
Eye problems can have different causes, each of which needs to be treated differently.
Bulging eyes are referred to as pop eyes. Goggle eyes are often additionally cloudy or dull and filled with liquid.
Cloudy eyes often result from excessive mucus secretion when the skin is irritated by parasites or poor water conditions. Cloudy eyes can also result from injuries or fluid in the eye.
Severe injuries can cause eyes to fall out completely. In some fish it seems to be a sign of aging if one or both eyes are missing.
Sunken eyes can occur as a result of stress, exhaustion, or various medical conditions. Possible causes are e.g. B. bacterial infections, gill worms, internal worms, etc.
The eyes themselves can also be infested by various worms, e.g. B. the Wormstar, and other parasites are attacked.
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Further information