Help With Collared Lizard's Eye!!

I just got back to my apartment after being gone for a few days and I noticed that my collared lizard wasn't coming out of her hide, which is strange because she always comes out when she hears a lot of noise in the room. I pulled her out of her hide and saw that one of her eyes was completely crusted over and swollen. I can't tell if the eye is still intact but there is definitely something there still (I touched it gently to see if the eye had been torn out or something). Please let me know if anyone knows anything about this or what I should do! She has been with me for over a year and has done very well until now.

Here are a couple of pics I snapped before placing her back.

I was able to get the scab off after a warm bath. The eye is definitely still intact and working (she was moving it freely and blinking), but there seems to be pressure coming from behind the eye. The socket is swollen

One word: Veterinarian.

You need to get her to a herp vet for diagnosis and treatment ASAP. Then you need to examine your setup once the vet determines if it was an injury or illness. If it is the latter, then it is usually temperature related or could be a bad uvb bulb.

What are your ambient and basking temps? (exact, not guessed)

What type uvb bulb are you using?

What type of substrate do you have her on?

Are there other lizards in the enclosure with her?

She is in a 40gal Breeder tank with a Powersun UV light. The basking temps stay in between 98-102F and the cool side is usually about 85. She and her tankmate are on a soil substrate with lots of piles of rocks rocks covering about 90% of the floor and a ceramic saucer as a water bowl. The two lizards have always gotten along and seem to enjoy each other's company and I have not seen any aggressive behavior to date. I feed them calcium dusted crickets and mealworms.
Her eye is still clear but the swelling has not gone down so I have made an appointment with a vet to make sure she gets the treatment she needs. I turned off the Powersun because I noticed her with her mouth gaping open yesterday. The bulb is about 13months old so I am going to replace it today!

Good. It sounds like you researched and have them set up well, but I would remove the substrate ASAP. Also, if you turn off that powersun, you need to put some temporary basking bulb on. They cannot be left without those basking temps.

When you say you were gone for a few days, did someone else take care of them or do you have your lights on timers?

Also, do you remove uneaten live insects at night?

Powersun bulbs made that long ago might have had problems. They did cause health issues when they first came out, and eye issues was one. I haven't kept up with the issues with MVBs lately, but I think the newer powersuns are good.

Please update this thread after you see the vet and best of luck!

Reptiles opening their mouths like that usually means they are just "panting", its there way of expelling excess heat, so i wouldnt be concerned about leaving it on. Powersuns are supposed to only expel as much uv as a cloudy mid-noon day. I think overexposure of MVB is usually a result from when UVC are allowed to escape. Powersuns have a coating on the inside that filters this out. Its possible it could be a nutritional deficiency. Collard lizards are predominately lizard eaters in the wild. Eitherway a vet check goes without question. I would keep them seperate from now on regardless if they got along before or not, no way you can tell they get along all the time or if they are stressing each other out just being in each others presence 24/7.

Sorry for taking so long, I really was too sad to type it out but the vet told me that she has simply reached the end of her time. He believe that she was an older girl and I received her in her last year of her life. I do not like this diagnosis, especially since she was seemingly healthy 2 weeks ago. Her eye is better now and the vet did drain some viscous liquid from behind her eye and she seems to longer have trouble with it. She has slowed her eating but is still somewhat active. I moved her friend to another tank per Haden's advice just in case it may help.
I do dust their food each day with Fluker's Calcium With D3. Is this not ok?
Thanks for your help Haden and Donna!

Adam,
I am sorry that the vet had such little optimism. Did he say that the swelling was related to kidney or liver disease? Either of these can cause edema. That does not mean that death is eminent, just sort of the beginning of the end, but well cared for animals can live a bit longer after they are diagnosed. If it isn't edema, then what did the vet say is obvious as far as her age, state of health, etc. Also, is this vet a herp vet?

Can you post a pic of your male? I might have a female or two around here that might be a good match for him. That does not mean that you should write your female off or anything, but she should be kept alone or with another female at this point. Collareds are very social, and males and females do very well together as long as they aren't sick or compromised. Females do fabulously together.

Hagenlock,
Collareds do eat smaller lizards in the wild sometimes, but I would not say that is their predominant diet. They eat far more bugs, especially grasshoppers, and they eat greens. Mine get salad at least every other day here. Collareds do beautifully on a diet of crickets, super worms, silks and hornworms if you can afford them, all supplemented with salad and calcium and vitamins of course. Leopard lizards eat more lizards than collareds do, but even they eat more bugs.

He thought it was due to failing kidneys but he said he wasn't certain. As far as her age he simply examined her and said that she appeared older due to the fact that she had some old wounds and 2 lost toes. He is not a herp vet by trade and I have actually decided to get a second opinion. I am taking one of my bps (trouble laying her eggs) to another vet that was reccomended to me in the morning and I will take my collared girl as well.

I will post a pic of the male in a few min. He is doing very well and has been eating like a pig as always! Do the females do better on their own without a male? I would love to get another girl for him so that he isn't all alone!

Here is the male posing for his fans.