Dorian - The Red Irish Lord

Why does this fish have a cloudy eye? 

This Red Irish Lord, Dorian, has been living for many years in our Kelp Forest habitat. Recently, Dorian was found to have a swollen and irritated cornea. Our veterinarian prescribed some medication to reduce the swelling and performed a sedated ophthalmic exam to rule out ulcers, serious injury, cancer, and disease. Thankfully Dorian has none of those issues, and it is thought that the cloudy cornea will remain rather like a scar. We believe Dorian has some degree of vision loss in that eye and so they were moved to Rock Wall so we could monitor them more closely and ensure they are getting the appropriate amount of food.

Q: Will you remove the eyeball?

A: Not at this time. The decision to remove an eye is multifactored, and primarily motivated by quality of life and pain. We do not believe Dorian is experiencing pain from this eye but it is something we monitor for.

Q: Can Dorian see out of that eye?

A: We believe there is some vision loss, but it is likely that they can see light and dark and some shapes.

Q: Is the eye painful?

A: We do not believe the eye is painful for Dorian. Signs of pain in fish include rapid respiratory rate, clamped fins, refusing food, lethargy and abnormal swimming. Dorian has exhibited none of these symptoms and continues to behave typically for this species of fish.

Dorian undergoes an eye exam with our veterinarian