bubble in pet rats eye

Question
heya,

i have kept rats for at least 8yrs and have always found them one of the best pets to keep me company and enjoy.
recently one of my rats died and i kept her sister on her own instead of replacing straight away, she seemed to be fine but then began to show signs of loneliness - i hated this and began searching for suitable companions for her (i know that rats are social animals and love and benefit from being part of a group because of the grooming and general communication etc). i went to a pet store to find some bedding etc for her and i saw an adult rat in a cage with the kittens, she was lovely and i asked to examine her to see what she was like outside away from the cage etc.

i noticed that she had a slight squint in her right eye but didn't think that it was anything too serious and generally she had a good temperament, confidence and was lively and bright. so i bought her and 2 kittens so that she company as she settled into her new home and also so that when the years go by and one of the older rats passes on there is still company etc.

it wasn't until i got her home that i noticed that inside her right eye by the corner nearest her nose she has something that looks like a bubble of air in a glass of coke and that whilst i've been watching her in the big cage her depth perception seems to be lacking as she panics as soon as she climbs as though she can't judge the distance of things. i was just wondering if this is something serious or whether she might be blind/have a cataract?

i have made an appointment to see my vet who specialises in exotic pets and who likes rats but this isn't until friday.

also - one of the kittens has porphyrin around both of her eyes and she's recently begun to scratch/wash them more (she's eating well, is lively and bright, not hunched over or anything) - i know that being brought to a new home and then introduced to a new rat etc is stressful but i wanted to ask to see if you thought anything different.

maisy - the rat i have introduced these new rats (who are yet to be named) to is happier with her company.. we introduced them yesterday and i was very wary about this but she went straight over to them (i'd put her in a log from her cage and them in the lid of the small cage they were in) and since then they have been almost inseparable, we left them together last night and there's been one squabble over the box but it lasted a couple of seconds and that's it. (maisy is currently on baytril for a lump on her throat - the vet has looked at it and says that he doesn't know what it is, he's examined cells from it and says he doesn't think it's a tumor but it doesn't seem to be an abcess, there was some bad bacteria and a build up of calcium in it but nothing worrying - i am very aware of her health and thought that with a close eye watching perhaps the company now would be perfect to boost her and help her).

thank-you for your time in reading this - i really appreciate any opinions/advice you might have as they mean the world to me and i would like to know that they are well - or if not that they are getting the right treatment :)

Answer
Hi

Is there a way to take a photo of her eye and send it to me at sandyscrittercity@yahoo.com  Several shots from the front and side view would be great. I cant really get a visual on what you mean.  If it were cataracts, you would see a white dot directly behind the pupil and as the cataract grows, the pupil may turn white.

This sounds more like a corneal abrasion or possibly a perforation. Since the vet is an exotic specialist and not just a vet that sees exotics as a special interest, he should know to prescribe the proper
treatment, such as using antibiotic eye drops and pain medications (oral only) Topical anesthetics should be avoided when dealing with a corneal abrasion since they slow down healing process which is why its best to give any pain medication orally.

It may also be an infection too, its difficult to say without seeing it though.

As for the little one that has increased porphyrin, this could be from stress. Is she sneezing?

As for the lump in the rats throat...is it a polyp?