Gold Fish - Eye Problem

Question
Hi Chris:
Since you have been so helpful :-) i need more of your time. Thank you.
Chris, It seems like it is NOT a superficial infection but something inside the eyeball. Very much like a cataract. Obviously it is not a common occurence otherwise you would have known what I am talking about.
Is it possible to replace the lens like they do with humans?
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Followup To
Question -
We change the water once in two weeks.
We have a 12 gallon Marineland Eclipse System.
This system has a buitlin waterpump and a carbon based cartridge filter.
The tank is about 3 years old, as old as the fish.
There is only one Gold Fish in the tank.
There are no plants, rocks, gravel etc at all.
We would normally clean the tank once a month or so.
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Followup To
Question -
I have a gold fish that is about 3 years old. Some time ago the fish was covered with fungus and nearly died. I changed the water and treated it with the antibiotics for about 5 days and it is fully recovered. There was a little spot on its left eye that looked as if it was fungus. It has been there for about 8 months now and it covers most of the left eye. Now I see a tiny one on the right eye too. It looks like a cataract. It is clear that the fish is not able to see anything because it cannot see the food and can eat only if it can smell it or at least that is what it seems. What can I do to help the poor little creature?
Answer -
Hi ;

Make frequent water changes of 25% at least once a week.  This will help him recover on his own if there is an infection.

Does it look as if it is on the lens of the eye or inside the eyball itself?
How big a tank is the fish in?
Are there other fish?
What kind of filter does the tank have?
How often do you normally clean the tank?

Followups welcome

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

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Answer -
Hi;

If the white is inside the eye, it is probably cataracts. There really isn't anything you can do except keep him as healthy and happy as possible. They are often genetic, or sometimes are caused by infection or injury. If the white  isn't inside the eye, but on the outside, it could be from toxins like ammonia and/or nitrite. They burn the skin, eyes and gills. If the tank can't balance completely they will be elevated. This can happen when a tank is kept "too clean". I know it sounds strange, but if you are removing all the water and totally cleaning it every month, it never has the chance to build a healthy beneficial bacteria balance. Changing 25% of the water every week while vacuuming the gravel is a good regimen to follow. You should never have to remove all the water unless there is a serious pollution problem or a foreign substance has gotten in the water. If you are finding a lot of crud in the gravel, it means you are overfeeding. (Very common problem, I overfeed sometimes too.) If he has a hard time finding food, it is easy to overfeed because you will want the fish to get enough. Just do the best you can. They do have a sense of smell, so he can find it when he needs to. Feed sinking pellets if you don't already. Pellets come in many different sizes. Get one that fits in his mouth. He can find them before they disintegrate in the gravel and there will be less waste that way. I always recommend the sinking kind instead of floating pellets because goldfish suck in too much air if they are getting the food from the top. It can cause fatal indigestion.

If it were my fish and it looks like a outer eye infection, I would try cutting back on food and add aquarium salt to the tank. Use uniodized pure salt. You can buy it at local fish stores. Put in 1/2 teaspoon per gallon. When you make water changes, put back enough salt to treat the water replaced. For instance, your water changes are about 3 gallons, so you will add back 1.5 teaspoons every time. The salt helps the fish fight infection and it can also help kill the cause of infection. It is always best to avoid medicine when ever you can. Especially in chronic cases.

Let me know if you have any more questions....

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins  

Answer
I suppose a cornea transplant in a fish would be possible, but I don't know if you could find a vet willing to do the procedure. I know that corneas don't have the same risk of rejection and infection that other organ transplants do. Something to think about I guess.....