Our adult female leo named Penelope, seems to have trouble seeing her food when hunting. We’ve started feeding her in a plastic tub to limit prey escaping and to verify how much she’s eating. She had gotten a little thin in the tail but it’s back up healthy looking now. Anyway, is there a genetic reason for this? Here’s a picture of her eye.
The breeder told us she’s a G Project Red Stripe.
In some cases, leopard gecko eye problems occur as a result of trauma to the eye , from a scratch, bite or abrasion. Infection can occur on the leopard gecko eye or under the eyelids, as well, and, in some cases, a leopard gecko eye problem is indicative of a respiratory infection or other systemic infection.
I have had geckos lose eyesight as a result of corneal xanthomatosis (fatty diet). Just like any other animal, leos can be born blind, but as @godzillao4 mentioned, trauma is often a culprit, but there are other eye diseases as well.
But looking at her right eye, it doesn’t show any obvious signs of corneal scarring, shape change, or cholesterol deposits. To be on the safe side I wouldn’t breed her, and I would let the breeder you purchased her from know. Depending on how the breeder responds, you might want to avoid purchasing from that source again.
For a blind leo, it’s definitely ideal to feed exclusively in a dish, and to avoid major rearrangements of furniture. Sharp points in her enclosure and any areas that could result in a potential fall should be avoided. I’ve generally found that leos do quite well without eyesight when kept individually.
Does the gecko have problems finding the food or just catching it? Some of my geckos don’t eat as well outside their enclosure and it could seem like they can’t find it when really they aren’t hunting. If you bring your hand up to her face will she be surprised when she does see it or will she know it’s coming from a distance away?
She really doesn’t acknowledge seeing a hand at all, really. She can see some movement of the food, like a dubia, but reacts really slow, like She focuses too slow. And she will often miss the bug totally when trying to catch it.
You might need to teach her to eat out of your hand or tongs.With some modifications to schedule and the enclosure she should be able to live a good life.
