Eye Swelling (?)

[France]

My guinea pig Honey-Senpai is a 4 year old American, acting perfectly normal, running around and playing, but his eye looks odd...
Not exactly the eye itself, but the skin around it appears wet and slightly swelled.... Earlier he kept squinting it and it looked like he couldn't open it easily.
I've read about the possibility of it just being something in his eye, and I cleaned the surrounding area with a q-tip (which helped the squinting), but I just want to be sure.
It probably isn't major, but he's still my sweetie and if it's the start of something serious I want to catch it early...
The image is of his eye.... I got the best one I could, the swelling is a bit hard to see

View attachment 56968

 

[DM030819]

It doesn't look very red so maybe he just poked it with some hay. I think you've noticed whatever it was quickly and he should be okay.

If you want to be certain then a vet can have a look to see if there is any hay in it, and they can also use a dye solution that highlights any scratches or ulcers on the surface of the eye.

 

[VickiA]

I would recommend that for any eye issue the eye should be checked by a vet. A watery/squinty/winking eye can be indicative of a hay poke but only the vet can see if there is any corneal damage. It can also be a sign of a URTI. Eyes can deteriorate very quickly so it's best to get it checked out by the vet. But in the meantime while you are waiting, bathing the eye with some home made saline is always a good idea.
Please could you add your location to your profile so we can tailor advice for your country/region. Thanks.

 

[France]

Thank you for everyone who replied! I wasn't quite able to find a vet, so I took to cleaning his eye every day with water and a q-tip until I did and he looks much better now! What it was I'm not sure, but I'm just glad he's okay!