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Eyes
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The eyes of an iguana are placed at the side of its head and have double opaque eyelids. Their vision is much greater than that of humans. They use sight to locate their prey and also to identify colors for cues in breeding and social communication.
Symptoms
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Infections will most likely appear as cloudy eyes. You might mistake this as a normal part of the shedding process, but an iguana's eyes do not cloud during shedding. An iguana also might show other signs of illness, such as lethargy or loss of appetite.
Causes
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Infection is often caused by an inadequate environment and improper care. To prevent infection, iguanas need optimal levels of temperature and humidity and proper nutrition. They also can suffer infections from trauma such as bites and dirty cages containing too many animals. Keeping too many animals together also can lower the immune ability of an iguana.
Diagnosis
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If you think your iguana might have an infection, take it to a veterinarian, who can check for changes in your pet's levels of white and red blood cells. He might also use a culture to check for bacteria in the eye.
Treatment
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If you think your iguana might have an eye infection, handle it carefully because the bacteria can be spread to people. Your vet will most likely suggest an antibiotic that works best with the kind of bacteria that is present. Trying to treat the infection on your own can actually worsen it, creating resistance instead of killing the bacteria.
Removal of the eye is recommended in extreme cases to prevent the spread of bacteria.
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Iguana Eye Infection
The eyes of an iguana are an important sensory organ and have some similarities with the eyes of a human, though also distinct differences. They can often become infected, and treatment is crucial, since blindness can occur if the infection is ignored.