Eye health

Question

-------------------------

Followup To

Question -
Hello and thank you. I have a 4 1/2 yr. old albino New Zealand white.  Our vet says he may have a bit of Flemish giant in him since he is so large. 12lbs.  I first noticed his bulging eye when we would pick him up and attributed that to him being so large but lately I have noticed that one eye is bulging even when he is sitting and being his normal self.  When I asked our vet she mentioned it was because he was trying to see behind him.  I would like to know if this is a normal thing or if I should be more aggressive with his vet in finding out why this is happening.  Thank you for your time and I appreciate being able to ask my question.  
gwyn

Answer -
Dear Gwyn,

If the condition you describe is unilateral (i.e., on one side only), then I would gently suggest you find a veterinarian who knows more about rabbits than the one who said he's just "trying to see behind him."

No, a bulging eye is not normal, and you really do need a vet who is familiar with rabbit dental problems and head abscesses to help you with this.  Please find one here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

The problem is most likely a mass behind the eye, and although it could be a tumor, it is far more likely for rabbits to develop retrobulbar (i.e., behind the eye) abscesses, usually because of a molar root infection.  You can read more about this here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/dental.html

and

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/jawabscess.html

If there is no pus to culture, then I would ask the vet about using injectible bicillin (Penicillin-G Procaine plus Benzathine) every other day for as long as it takes to resolve this condition (it can take weeks or months!).  

I hope this helps get you started.  It will take patience and a good vet who knows about retrobulbar abscesses (or other problems) in rabbits.

If the problem is *bi*lateral, then it's a different story, and you could be dealing with something as different as a thymoma or other type of thoracic mass.  These can impede the flow of blood through the veins descending from the head, and cause both eyes to bulge.  But this is generally *not* the case if only one eye is bulging.

I hope this helps.

Dana

I have an update, I went back to our vet and told her what I had found online.  I asked her specifically about retrobulbar abscesses.  She checked his teeth and then conducted an eye pressure test.  It seems my bun has glaucoma.  One eye registered 56 the other 32 on her pressure scale.  I am going for a second opinion.  Are there any other tests that can be done to positively diagnose glaucoma?  We are currently giving him one drop in each eye of Tomolol.
 Thanks again, I won't bug you any more.

Answer
Dear Gwyn,

Please don't hesitate to "bug" me if you think I can help!

Glaucoma is the term used to describe a condition in which the intraocular fluid pressure is abnormally high.  It can be caused by many different things, including diabetes, and even congenital problems.  

I would suggest you get bun to a good veterinary ophthalmologist for another test, and for prescription of appropriate medications that are designed to control glaucoma.  Left untreated, glaucoma can cause blindness by damaging the delicate retina lining the back of the eyeball.  So I would do this as soon as possible.

Hope this helps.

Dana