My Fish May be Blind..?

Question
I have this betta fish (male) MR.Fishy.
Yesterday i came home and i saw him laying on his side but still alive I thought maybe he was dieing (so of course i was crying) But when my father got home he was swimming around but he is bumping into things like the rocks and gravel i've had him.. for about 6 mounths. Im Also afraid he isn't eating.He swims close to the food but turns then gulps air and im afraid he is blind.I have a lamp next to his cage and maybe he looked at it too long.Also Would you know if he got an illness?PLEASE help i cant lose my little guy!(im only 11)

Answer
Hi Delaney,
Your fish isn't blind dear, but could have a disease we call Swim Bladder Disease.  This disease is caused by poor diet, overfeeding, which leads to constipation, then to Swim Bladder.
If you can get  Mr. Fishy to eat, ask your Mom to cook a frozen pea until it is tender, remove the outer layer, and cut it into tiny pieces.  Serve this to your friend one piece at a time making sure he eats it, and that it doesn't fall to the bottom of the tank.  He must waste.  Don't feed him anything else for 2 days.  If he hasn't wasted in 2 days, you will have to treat him with an antibiotic.  Kanamycin is the best for Swim Bladder, but if you cannot find it,  try Tetracycline or Furan2.  This disease is curable if caught in time.
Here is some information on the Betta, and how he should be treated, this may help you:

A betta needs 5 gallons of water to be healthy, and happy.  
In his habitat the betta may live in shallow waters, but he has lots of room to swim.  
Keeping Bettas in small bowls, containers, vases etc, is cruel.  The Betta is one of the most mistreated fish on the market.
He needs a heated tank,  Temperature should be 78-80 degrees.  He is a tropical fish, and is cold under this temperature.  Cold bettas get sick, are miserable, and live unhappy lives. ( Always remember that when heating a tank, do this very very slowly..1 degree every two days, as bringing up the temperature too fast could kill your Betta.)  They should have a silk plant in their tanks, so that they can rest on the leaves  They also need a little tunnel or some knick knack that they can go through.   You may add 1 teaspoon of aquarium salt in his water which has been diluted before adding to his tank.  1 teaspoon to 5 gallons of water.
Aquarium salt helps them with stress.
He needs a varied diet. This is very important.  Betta pellets one day, Betta Flakes the next, Daphnia the next, and bloodworms should be given once a week as a treat.
He should be given one frozen cooked pea a week, and on the day you give him the pea, he should fast.  This helps clean out his system.

A betta is prone to constipation, and constipation leads to Swim Bladder Disease.
He should have 2-3 small meals a day, and not one big meal.  We must remember that his tummy is the size of his eye.
Example:  2 pellets for one meal.
Water changes are very important.  Water changes must be made every week without fail with a good water conditioner such as Aqua Safe or Stress Coat.  There is also a conditioner made especially for bettas.   Never put two bettas in the same tank, they will kill each other...male or female.  The Betta male is a loner.  Females can be kept together in a big enough tank.
When treated well, a betta can live up to 8 years, if you buy him when he is very young, and be a very good friend.  (Unfortunately we do not know their age when we buy them at the Pet Store which is why some bettas die after we have had them for two - three years.)
He's an intelligent little fish, and should be treated with kindness.
Too many vendors know nothing about the betta, and don't care...so don't give good information on how to keep them.
They are there to sell, and will say anything just to make a buck.  They send you home with your bought betta, telling you a small bowl is perfect, and bloodworms!  The poor customer thinks he has everything he/she needs, and then the fish gets sick, money is spent to cure him, and eventually the fish dies.   
This turns my stomach over.  Unfortunately there are no laws to protect fish.  
Bettas kept in small bowls, one gallon tanks, and vases, will get sick, and are very hard to cure in such little water.  They end up dying, and
that hurts the person who has grown so attached to them.  They don't deserve to be treated this way.
This is how a Betta should be treated.  If treated this way, you will have your friend for a long long time.  I have bred them, love them, and know what is good for them.
I hope this helps, and if you have more questions, please write me again.
I hope your little friend gets well.
Lynda