Eyesight problems?

[Jrgh17]

I'm worried about one of my snakes. She seems to have some recent vision problems in one eye. She missed her f/t prey (the snake equivelent of running into a parked car) several times, and even bit herself on accident. I can't exactly explain it, but I get the feeling the issue is only in one eye. She seemed to prefer using only the right eye. Based on how she's acting, I think that she can still see vague shapes and light/dark contrast in the left eye.

I've been thinking about this... is it possible that this is a result of a retained eyecap? I didn't notice a problem before she shed. Her shed came in pieces (my fault - I didn't see her in blue and didn't mist), and I'm not sure both eyecaps came off.

Any theories/advice/thoughts are welcome. Also, are they special concerns for having a vision impaired snake as a pet?

[Annabelle]

If it is an eye cap it may become more evident with time. I had this happen and in 5 days after shedding there were tiny flakes around the one eye. I just used a tweezers and plucked it right off. I wouldn't have tried it unless I saw the flakes though. :shrugs:
Good luck.

[Topazfyre]

If it IS a retained eye cap (which it deffinately could be), you can either pull it with tweezers or just let it come off in the next shed. Eye caps that are retained usually appear with crusty edges around the eyes, and the dead skin may wrinkle a bit. It should be pretty obvious if it there within a week or so after the shed, not like how it is right after the blue eye stage. A retained eye cap would also account for the 'blindness.'

On the other hand, it could also be a more serious problem than an eye cap. There are several infections that attack the eyes, among other problems. It might be a good idea to get it checked out by a vet if you happen to notice anything else.