This chameleon came to me when its owner noticed he was holding his eye shut. Chameleons holding their eyes shut, especially if they’re swollen, can mean a lot of things, including infections, trauma to the eye, vitamin A deficiency, or having something stuck in the eye. I started out by numbing the eye with proparacaine, and then proceeded to flush the eye very carefully using the flexible tip of a catheter. I was suspicious that this chameleon had somthing stuck in his eye as his husbandry was pretty good, he appeared healthy otherwise, and he kept trying to rub his eye against things as if to get something out of it. If I was suspicious of vitamin A deficiency, they we sometimes give injectible vitamin A or recommend an oral supplement. If I’m worried about an infectious process, I typically like tobramycin eye drops to start with. Making sure they’re hydrated by giving subcutaneous fluids and bringing down inflammation with meloxicam may help too. When chameleons have both eyes affected, they often do not want to eat. If they’re not eating, it’s also recommend to assist-feed or syring-feed them, as they need calories and energy to improve. Luckily after a little bit of flushing, we were rewarded with a pretty good-sized piece of shed that had somehow become stuck underneath his eyelids. I was able to gently lift this piece away with a cotton-tipped applicator and he immedately felt relief. Fortunately he had a great and attentive owner who brought him to me before his condition worsened. #chameleon #lizard #lizards #reptile #reptiles #zoo #exotics #wildlife #rescue #conservation #animals #pets #nature #vet #vetmed #veterinarian #veterinary #medicine #veterinarymedicine #veterinaria #medical #doctor #premed #prevet #vettech