Possible Blind Or Partially Sighted Guinea Pig

[Hank288]

How would I be able to tell if one of my pigs is blind or partially sighted?
I just have my suspicions as she acts different to any guinea pig I have ever owned. She still freaks out everytime I pick her up, like it is sheer panic and like I have taken her by surprise. I have had her 8 months now and she has not calmed down at all, my other pig I have had for same time is calm as anything. She even freaks out and kicks and squeals if one of the other pigs comes from behind her and tries to get past.
She also seems to sniff the air a lot more than my other 5 pigs.
Could she be blind or just a wild one?

 

[Freela]

I suspect that my 6-year-old pig, Sundae, has gone at least partially blind her old age. In her case, she has pretty obvious trouble judging distances- for instance, there is a step up to a ramp for her to leave the cage and I can see her 'feel' with her front paw to try to find where the step is rather than just walking up and out and down the ramp. I've also seen her just made a wide jump in trying to get down the ramp- she ends up making a big crash and then being upset/spooked by the whole experience. She also sometimes seems disoriented in trying to find her way around the cage (finding the door out, mainly.) She obviously still sees bright lights (she will look up to a camera flash, for instance), but her ability to confidently judge depth and distance is obviously not what it used to be. I'm not sure about your pig, whether she's not seeing well or just feisty! Is she young? I've always heard that pigs will adapt well to loss of vision, particularly if they are young. I hope Sundae will get her confidence up more with time as she adjusts, but she is on the older side and has always had a cautious personality, so time will tell.

 

[Cookies&Glitter]

When I had a few blind piggies from horner's syndrome the vet would do visual tests. Though the corner of the eye and see if they have a bank reflex but also try just moving close to see if they can see a finger as it moves closer to the eye. Also I imagine she checked pupil dilation. They can live great lives just need to go about things a little different, lots of taking and rusting before picking them up

 

[Wiebke]

How would I be able to tell if one of my pigs is blind or partially sighted?
I just have my suspicions as she acts different to any guinea pig I have ever owned. She still freaks out everytime I pick her up, like it is sheer panic and like I have taken her by surprise. I have had her 8 months now and she has not calmed down at all, my other pig I have had for same time is calm as anything. She even freaks out and kicks and squeals if one of the other pigs comes from behind her and tries to get past.
She also seems to sniff the air a lot more than my other 5 pigs.
Could she be blind or just a wild one?

It may be worth having her checked by a vet. You can try yourself by seeing whether she reacts to a purely visual cue. I would also check whether she is deaf, which may make interaction even more difficult.

Here are handling tips:
How To Understand Guinea Pig Instincts And Speak Piggy Body Language
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig

For a blind piggy, make sure that you establish vocal cues for things you do regularly, each with its own distinctive cadence and melody. Talk gently the whole time you are coming close and while you handle her, so knows you are around and what is up. Praise her lots.
Blind guinea pigs don't like being surprised, especially when they are fast asleep. It may be worth establishing a signal for impending pick up. Use her favourite fresh herb or veg to entice her into a pick-up convenience and give a treat every time after she's been handled.