• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Blindness in guineas

Status
Not open for further replies.
missy

missy

Adult Guinea Pig
Joined
Feb 2, 2010
Messages
1,855
Reaction score
2
Points
0
Location
Buckinghamshire, UK
This might sound like a silly question but I'm wondering, what are the classic tell-tale signs that a guinea pig is blind (or partially sighted)?

I assume that their behaviour can sometimes indicate sight problems (are they more likely to bump into things?)....but can you also always tell from simply looking at the eye itself? I've heard people mention a blue-ish tinge - is this usually seen just on the iris of the eye, or is it across the whites as well? And does the presence of a bluey tint always mean that there's a problem, or can perfectly healthy eyes simply look that way, in a certain light, especially dark eyes?

Generally speaking, is the white of a (healthy, full-sighted) guinea pig's eye usually bright white and unblemished? Or is it normal to see some dark bits too (veins?), like the kind of blemishes we might have when our eyes are a bit 'bloodshot'?

Just wondering what is "normal", when it comes to piggy eyes and vision, but really don't want to scour the internet for images, as closeup photos of eyes tend to make me feel queasy!

Thanks x
 
Last edited:
I can't really help with signs of eye blindness, I had Treasure, who bless her was born with no eyes. (Niki now has her, see Seelie and Shyloh post), but I can say that she never really bumped into things. When I clean my pigs out I like to rearrange things to give them more interest exploring, but I never changed things round with Seelie so she always knew where things were. She is brilliant. xx
 
Eyes can take on a bluish tint (not in the white bit, obviously) before a cataract or nuclear sclerosis becomes visible. It is quite distinct from a just a bluish hint that you can get in certain light.
 
I have to say I would like to know this to. My piggy Nutty is always bumping into things and jumps when you get up close to him. I did wonder about taking him to the vet but he gets along okay and Nibbles takes good care of him.

Could Nutty be partially sighted? I not sure but him seems healthy in himself.

Amy

x
 
Hi

Guineas don't have the best eye sight to start with and often just rely on scent.

As far as how the eye looks well some times as said the eye can take on a blueish tint, sometimes they eyes are turned in and some times they look totaly normal, it depends on why they are blind, it could be a lens or cornea or it could be an optic nerve or even a detached retina.

Just like with human eyes, some times its obvious that the eye is blind and sometimes there is no visible signs.

Sorry to not be of much help

Regards

SGP
 
nutmeg said:
I had Treasure, who bless her was born with no eyes. (Niki now has her, see Seelie and Shyloh post)...
Click to expand...

Awwwww she's absolutely gorgeous! I just looked up their thread as I'd missed it somehow. Sounds like Niki has a very special double act there :)
 
Thanks guys.

I asked about blindness because I'm wondering about my rescue pig, Little Bud. He's been with us a few months and I hadn't noticed anything unusual before, except that sometimes his eyes look like they have a bluey tinge, depending on the light. My OH then said he'd noticed him sometimes knocking into things and generally being a bit more clumsy than our other pigs. So then I started to wonder but he's probably fine.

The clumsiness may just be a result of his skittishness - he's a lot less nervous than he was but still darts about. His eyes are a lot darker than our other piggies' eyes, so perhaps they just look different to what I'm used to and are perfectly fine. Not too sure.
 
If you worry about cataracts forming, I would see a vet. The blue tinge usually appears BEFORE a cataract gets going and sight is not impeded yet.

Your boy can simply be very nervous and skittish.
 
Sorry I didn't reply sooner, I have been thinking about this thread and what I can add to it and the answer is........not a whole lot. :))

You can sometimes tell in pictures, if a photo is taken with flash the eye looks a whitish colour instead of red. (Someone correct me if I am wrong!)

Errol has a slipped lens which looks a little like a cataract and does affect his vision, I have a good pic but as you're a bit squeamish, I'll leave it up to you to go find Errol's thread if you did want to look. It's a nice clean pic, the eye does not look bad. I struggle to look at eyes with serious trauma e.g. severe infection, ulceration etc. It's one thing that I instantly feel myself. *shudders*
 
Sorry I didn't reply sooner, I have been thinking about this thread and what I can add to it and the answer is........not a whole lot. :))

You can sometimes tell in pictures, if a photo is taken with flash the eye looks a whitish colour instead of red. (Someone correct me if I am wrong!)

Errol has a slipped lens which looks a little like a cataract and does affect his vision, I have a good pic but as you're a bit squeamish, I'll leave it up to you to go find Errol's thread if you did want to look. It's a nice clean pic, the eye does not look bad. I struggle to look at eyes with serious trauma e.g. severe infection, ulceration etc. It's one thing that I instantly feel myself. *shudders*
 
I have a piggy with cataracts. Pingu went blind in early age. She has no worries getting around. She is housed with a very easy going piggy, called Mandy and Pingu is the boss :))
 
Gracie01 said:
I have a piggy with cataracts. Pingu went blind in early age.
Click to expand...

Glad to hear that Pingu manages perfectly well. How old was she when she developed cataracts?

I don't really know much about eyes, sorry....is it simply the presence of the cataracts alone that makes her blind? Or are cataracts usually coupled with another problem which actually causes the blindness? i.e. even if the cataracts were removed (though not sure if this can be done in piggies) she'd still be blind?
 
Laura-CCC4 said:
....I struggle to look at eyes with serious trauma e.g. severe infection, ulceration etc. It's one thing that I instantly feel myself. *shudders*
Click to expand...

I know what you mean. I'm usually ok with most things but when it comes to eyes I can get reeeeeeeally queasy.

Years ago one of my classmates brought a cat's eyeball into school. She'd done work experience at a Vets and observed it being removed so she thought it'd make a nice keepsake and took it home! (Bleuurrrghhh!) It really freaked me out and I've never been the same since!
 
I've had a number of piggies over the years come to me already blind or develop cataracts with age and it seems to have very little effect on their behaviour or ability to find the food bowl/water bottle etc.

Some had been born with no eyes, others have received injuries through fighting - usually mixed boars. Some have developed cataracts, usually with age though some through poor diet at a young age. I've had one with a slipped lens through being hit.

Whatever the reason for their poor sight they all coped really well - even the ones that were deaf as well as blind, as long as their cagemate was kind to them and shared everything nicely.

My current blind/deaf female Esther is very forceful and will tell anybody off if they get in her way or they try to get to the food bowl before her - she sits in it to make sure they don't!

I have a blind male that was bullied by one of his brothers - they were kept in a group of 4 until aged three and there was a lot of fighting. He is more sensitive about people - he was never handled in those three years, so is taking longer to accept handling - I just talk to him a lot and let him smell my hand before picking him up. He's ok with me now but doesn't like other poeple touching him.

It always amazes me how well piggies cope with any disability. I think that as no-one has told them they are different they just get on with life with no self-pity, my lot certainly look happy enough!

Suzy x
 
Please don't get me wrong, anyone.... having a blind/partially sighted piggy would in no way 'put me off', as it were. I've read lots of inspiring stories on this forum about piggies coping amazingly well with blindness, so if my Little Bud does have sight problems then I'm not really worried about how he'll manage, it's more a case of just trying to establish whether or not he does indeed have impaired vision. I do appreciate that it's hard to advise over the internet but I'll ask the Vet next time I'm there.

Suzy,
The pigs that come to you already blind... if their owner doesn't tell you that they're blind, how do you know? It is always apparent from seeing cataracts or other visible signs? Or do their eyes sometimes look normal?
 
missy said:
Suzy,
The pigs that come to you already blind... if their owner doesn't tell you that they're blind, how do you know? It is always apparent from seeing cataracts or other visible signs? Or do their eyes sometimes look normal?
Click to expand...

Sometimes you can tell straight away - cataracts/injuries/lens displacement.

If their eye appears to have no injuries or cataracts I check the pupil reactions - often if they are blind the pupil is fully dilated. You can try the blink test by bringing your hand quickly towards their face to see if they flinch - be careful not to touch the whiskers as they will flinch anyway.

Some will fool you until you watch their behaviour - some will sweep their heads from side to side when walking about to sense what is around them with their whiskers, others follow a cagemate very closely and use them as their eyes.

Even with eye problems some will have a little sight and can see light and dark so movements can be detected.

To be honest it makes such little difference that I discount blindness as a disability.

Suzy x
 
Just one other quick thought

Cataracts can be a sign of Diabeties in Guineas, although I wish you luck in getting a vet to test for it, the most they normally do is test the wee with a test stick and these don't start reading untill the sugar level is above 11 so a diabetic guinea can easily be missed.

Not saying thats the problem, its just another option.

Regards

SGP
 
Sheppey_GuineaPigs said:
Just one other quick thought

Cataracts can be a sign of Diabeties in Guineas, although I wish you luck in getting a vet to test for it, the most they normally do is test the wee with a test stick and these don't start reading untill the sugar level is above 11 so a diabetic guinea can easily be missed.

Not saying thats the problem, its just another option.

Regards

SGP
Click to expand...

Misdiagnosis is another problem, I am led to believe. High glucose in the urine does not often mean diabetes, results are affected by diet so fruits, some veggies and dry food can impact on glucose readings. A piggie with cataracts with high glucose levels may be very suspect as being diabetic, but a diet which eliminates the high sugar foods and a retest three weeks later is important before actually diagnosing diabetes. It can be treated but correct diagnosis is essential.
 
Yep and just as with humans you are not supposed to be diagnosed diabetic on one high Blood Glucose reading but a lot are.

Regards

SGP
 
Yep and just as with humans you are not supposed to be diagnosed diabetic on one high Blood Glucose reading but a lot of people are.

Regards

SGP
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top