Cataract?

[Susan]

When I first noticed this in my oldest corn ('95 wild caught female), I thought it was a retained cap. However, I have been checking the past 3 sheds and everything has come off as normal. Upon closer examination (not easy on this wiggly girl), the white is actually inside the eye itself and I believe it is a cataract. Her other eye is perfectly normal and she has no problems grabbing dinner on the first strike. Has anyone else ever noticed a snake with such a condition?

[cornman1979]

Don't know about cataract, but i have heard of blindness in which the eye in question goes blind. I havn't heard of cataract in a snake so i'll be following this topic closley.

Albino corn snake site (http://www.freewebs.com/albinocornsnakes/)

[Hurley]

That certainly looks like a cataract in the picture. Typical ground glass/shattered appearance to the white and it's behind the iris.

I've seen cataracts in a couple of very old snakes and in one that had an extremely rough start who was rescued from a neglectful home and was emaciated and malnourished.

The eye on that side is almost certainly blind, but as long as she can eat, she's golden. Just be aware she may startle if you approach her from that side.

[cornman1979]

Thanks hurley as i didn't realise snake's could get cataracts, but just because i havn't heard of it doesn't mean it can't happen, so thanks for the infomation.

[Susan]

Thanks for the diagnostic confirmation Hurley. She's doing great, but I'll be continuing to monitor that eye, as well as her good eye, to make sure no other problems arise. She's my first pet snake and extra special. I remember the day my husband brought her home...first she tried to swallow his finger, then curled up in his hair to sleep.

[Quigs]

I'm pretty sure Brian (AKA HosstheMan) has a reverse okeetee that looks alot like that, but it is in both eyes.

Maybe Brian can pop in here and shed some more light on it?

Correct me if I'm wrong on the morph, Brian.

I just have dogs and a cat with cataracts, no snakes yet...lol

Quigs

[BeniciaBrian]

I have the same thing going on with a wild caught Northern Pacific gopher snake. At first I thought it was an eye cap that did not come off. I also thought cataract but it happened kind of fast. I tried rubbing his eye with vegetable oil. That didn't work so I made a humity box out of a plastic shoe box and moist paper towels and newspaper. I put it in his cage and he spends all his time in it and his eye has cleared up. I suspect it was an eye cap that fell off or rehydrated to where its not that visible. So might give the humity box a try.