Urgent Care :: Suspected my RES' eyes are burned by UVB

[mini]

I recently changed my UVB bulb to reptisun 5.0. the older one i used is a ESU but it didn't say what % of UVB it's emitting. the new one is much brighter. i put the bulb about 2 inches higher than the original height. yesterday, my RES just hide under the bridge and closed its eyes. I was suspecting the new light was too bright for him so i turned off the UVB and the heating light immediately. on the first day, its eyes were closed for 10 to 30 seconds frequently. today, it still closed its eyes but less frequent and closed for a shorter time. it was exposed to the new bulb for about 4 days, 12 hrs each day. i've already booked an appointment with the doctor tomorrow. but at the mean time, what else can i do? i don't really know if it's coz of the UVB or it's eye infection. please help my RES! Thanks!!

[Hoooneylynn]

I would try eye drops... I dont know the brand name.. maybe someone else does, but it may not be an eye infection.

[cam722]

Have you changed anything else? Do you treat your water if it's water from the tap? Are there any other symptoms, are the eyes swollen or is there any discharge?

[CountryGirl68]

Is he keeping his eye closed while he basks, while he's in the water or both?

[SpotsMama]

Some good eye drops are Zoo Med "Repti Turtle Eye Drops". They're not expensive, should be readily available at a store like Petsmart or Petco. They come with directions.

[Kallistos]

Eye drops open up the eyes really well, that's why I discourage that they're immediately used. Make sure the water is sparkling clean, and that there are no harmful chemicals such as nitrites. Have you measured the temperatur on the basking dock? Perhaps it's too close. The eyes have closed becasue something unnatural happened and by closing them it protects the eyes. If you make them re-open in say bad water, then you're just hurting the eyes even more. Tell us what the vet says.

[marisa]

Strange, I find ESU lights to be brighter than Reptisuns...How is the light positioned and how far away from your basking turtle is it? You did say your turtle was keeping his eyes open more. If the light is the only thing different in the set-up, your turtle may just be getting used to the new light. Again, how far away from your turtle is it and how do you have it attached to the tank? Are you using a dome reflector with it?

[mini]

Thx everyone. i missed the train today and needed to reschedule the appointment with the vet on Wednesday instead.....

The water seems fine. And I just changed the water on Saturday (the day that I found out about Rockie's eye problem). I did put the anti-chlorine drops in so his eyes won't get hurt by the chlorine. I had turned off all the lights for 2.5 days. This evening when I came home, my husband suggested to turn on the basking light so he can bask but the UVB light is still off. He's still blinking but not so frequent. His eyes don't have any redness nor swollen. Looks clear like before. I've turned up the water temp to 29C (84F) to boost up his immune system. When he was healthy, he basks with his eyes on (at least when I was in the house) and he also has his eyes open when in the water. When he was sick, he didn't bask at all. He just stayed in the water. Sometimes closing one eye, sometimes closing both eyes (one eye close more frequent). The basking temp should be around 88F.

On the first day, he was quite inactive. The second day, he swam more. and today, he just swims like normal. When I dropped a small piece of food stick, he would immediately run to to food and eat. Hope he'll get better before seeing the vet.

What are the eye drops for? Infection or for UVB burn as well? And how much distance should I leave between the basking area and the light?

[marisa]

How much distance did you have between the light and your turtle? For a Reptisum 5.0 compact flourescent, I'd have it 6-8 inches from the basking turtle. Once again, how is it positioned over the basking area?

I'd lower the water temp down to 79-80F for now. If the basking water temp is 84F (too warm) and the basking area is only 88F, your turtle won't want to bask.

The drops (Zoo-Med?) are for irritated/inflammed eyes and can help with minor infections.

[SpotsMama]

Here's what the zoo med drops have in them: water, solubilizing hydrotrope (?), vitamin A, vitamin B. They sooths irritated eyes. Sometimes eye problems and infections are caused by a vitamin A deficiency, and the drops help with that.

The distance between a light and the basking area is very important, but it totally depends on the type of light. What does it say in the directions on your bulb's box? The zoo med site talked about placing a Reptisun 5.0 10" to 12" from the basking site. Another site said 12" distance from a flourescent UVB bulb is ideal:

http://www.reptilesdownunder.com/reptil ... ghting.php

[mini]

Thanks. I just lower the water temp to 79F just now. I have 8 inches above the turtle originally. then 2 days later, I raised it to 11 to 12 inches.

[marisa]

Just be aware that the further away you have the bulb, the less your turtle benefits from the UVB rays. With some bulbs, more than 12 inches away, and the turtle isn't benefiting much at all. Many experienced turtlekeepers give the 6-8 inches an ideal distance.

The positioning of the light (clamping, hanging, etc.) is also important.

[SpotsMama]

Mini, you should go with what Marisa advises. My info came off the internet - hers comes from experience. Can't beat actual experience.

[mini]

Thanks. We visited the vet but he couln't figure out what's going on with my RES coz it has gone back to the normal life for 2 days. The vet said it looked a little bit swollen but he didn't say if it has any infection and didn't prescribe any medication. But he said he'll ask on a professional vet forum regarding how the artificial light affecting the turtle and I will call him again on Monday to see if the other vets have any idea.

The vet injected some vitamine A for my turtle. and from its daily life to the reaction it has on the vet, I think it is quite healthy. It swims and eats all the food everyday. When the vet exam it, it tried to bite the vet badly.

I am using clamp lamb. Recently changed to a compact reptisun 5.0 bulb. I'm switching it back to the ESU compact coil and will let my turtle sun bath under it starting tomorrow.

[SpotsMama]

I'm glad your little guy is doing well!