I might have poked my guinea pig's eye with my thumbnail

[al0616]

A few hours ago, as I was putting him down to roam free in the garden, he squirmed slightly and I accidentally poked him with my thumbnail, which is unfortunately rather long. The thing is, I'm not sure if I poked him in the eye or just close to it. He didn't squeak, but he did bite me right after, and I continued to observe him for a while. Although he did squint sometimes, it was only when he was in direct sunlight or when he hit a plant leaf. Both his eyes (dark brown cornea and black iris, and which have always protruded out the socket a little) were pretty clear. I just checked him, now inside, and it still seems to be alright.
If I did in fact poke his eye, would the complications have been really obvious immediately, or is it possible they might arise later? Would he have been more agitated right after the fact?

 

[sport_billy]

With hay pokes the eye often goes cloudy that’s have we know they have injured it. Any changes to the eye then please get to a vet immediately

 

[Betsy]

Check for any excessive watering (other than normal white eye cleaning fluid) as this can indicate a damaged eye too.

 

[Wiebke]

A few hours ago, as I was putting him down to roam free in the garden, he squirmed slightly and I accidentally poked him with my thumbnail, which is unfortunately rather long. The thing is, I'm not sure if I poked him in the eye or just close to it. He didn't squeak, but he did bite me right after, and I continued to observe him for a while. Although he did squint sometimes, it was only when he was in direct sunlight or when he hit a plant leaf. Both his eyes (dark brown cornea and black iris, and which have always protruded out the socket a little) were pretty clear. I just checked him, now inside, and it still seems to be alright.
If I did in fact poke his eye, would the complications have been really obvious immediately, or is it possible they might arise later? Would he have been more agitated right after the fact?

Hi and welcome

Please see a vet promptly if possible. Eye injuries are not necessarily visible to the naked eye but they can deteriorate very quickly. Vets use a special dye and ultraviolet light in order to assess the damage. Diagnosis and medical treatment is the same in all mammal pet species, which means that any vet is trained deal with eye injuries. Eye injuries should never be left.
Google for 24 hour or out-of-hours services in your area if you are in the UK and your regular vet is not open on a bank holiday Monday.