Monitor lizard eye watering problem

Question
QUESTION: I've recently acquired a pair of black throat monitors, each around 5ft in length and overall healthy appearance. The male I have noticed has come into shed, with patches of skin coming away slower than it should even after raising the humidity, so I have put down the delay to the stress they underwent during the move (the male in particular). However, we've noticed that on and off recently his eye has been watering, but it stopped in an hour or so each time so we assumed it was just something in his eye, perhaps substrate.
Today his eye was watering more than previously, but we noticed the female climb over him to bask and her claws went very near his eye. Could she be the cause of this? Or could he have a stuck eye cap? If so, how do I go about helping his shed along? As he is very large and unlike the female, doesn't really take to being handled for long enough to be soaked and rubbed.
Regards,
Laura.

ANSWER: Hello Laura,

Wow I bet they are georgeous.  Could you post a picture of them for me?  How large is their enclosure?
His eye cap could have retained, that is a huge possibility.  The female could have also scratched his eye a little bit, also.  
Is the eye swollen that you can tell, or just watery?
What type of substrate are you using for them?
Well, you could try to mist his body & head a couple of times per day to help with the humidity in there, instead of putting in a large water bowl that they would knock over easily.  
I would not attempt to get that eye cap off, if that is what has happened.  It should come off with an increase of humidity in the tank, or with mistings.

Tracie



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: They are indeed gorgeous animals. Though I can't post a picture for a while as I don't have a camera as of yet unfortunately. The enclosure is 6'5"x4'5"x5'. But they do have access to more space when I can supervise. The eye isn't swollen, just watery occasionally. The substrate is loam and vermiculite of a 70/30 ratio as recommended by another keeper of them, but I've heard conflicting opinion on this. If I mist him, does the water need to be at the same average temperature of the enclosure?
Laura.

Answer
Hello Laura,

How is he doing today?  That is a large enclosure, so that is good.  I am sure you get them out alot as well.
Good the eye is not swollen or red.  
I am thinking that it is going to be the substrate could be too dusty for him, or perhaps he got some in his eye that has irritated it.  The particles are pretty small in the loam soil.  Maybe give it a little more time.  You could get some turtle eye drops or saline solution to put in his eye for a few days to see if that helps out.
The misting doesn't necessarily need to be the same or average temperatures of the enclosure no, but it shouldn't be "ice cold" either.
Alot of people use just plain dirt, mixed with perlite or vermiculite.  Does that soil mixture seem particularly dusty?

Tracie