Slider w/ swollen eye

Question
I went to feed my slider turtle this morning ( 11 yrs old ) His one eye is filmed
over and looks swollen . He is in a indoor pond with 5 other smaller sliders.
All of them are fine . I change the water every few days , and clean out the
pond . I separated him just now from the other turtles . I put him in the bath
tub with a little warmer water. ( until I can find something else to put him in .
)  He eats pet store turtle food and there are feeder gold fish in with them .
Could it be a infection ? If I change the water daily will it clear up on it's own
? Or will he need medication ?    Thanks, kathleen

Answer
Hello Kathleen, Is his eye swollen shut or just swollen and bulgy?
It could be a simple infection in which case just cleaning the water up wont really help. It will definately help prevent further problems and prevent it from getting worse but I don't think it will heal on its own this way.
It could be from a scratch one of the other turtles had given him, it could be chlorine in the water or other chemicals, or just a bacteria problem. At the pet store they sell eye drops for turtles, get a bottle of them and use as directed on the package. But this isn't a medication and is only to help lubricate the eye to get him to see better and be able to eat. (turtles will stop eating if they can not see, they depend a lot on their eye sight) I do recommend you take him to a vet and get some medication for him. It could heal up on its own but I wouldnt want you to risk it and having him go blind in one eye.

So find a qualified turtle veterinarian in your area:
http://www.herpvetconnections.com and get him treated.

Good luck!