# Signs of blindness



## kessy09 (Jun 16, 2013)

I have one four day old Salmon Favorelles and at hatch, he had a very swollen eye. It was only the one eye and none of the other chicks were born that way, nor has it spread to anyone else. He is thriving but after a day when the swelling didn't resolve on its own I picked up some antibiotic eye drops. So far it's looking a lot better but the pupil doesn't seem perfectly round-very rough around the edges. It is still dilating though. I was thinking the damage was from trauma -either pecked or scratched on a bit if shell. How would I rule out this being a genetic issue rather than trauma? How do I know if he's blind in that eye, and if trauma, could he still do well in my flock and be bred? (I don't want him to be attempting to breed if its genetic, but I would hate to keep him separate from everyone else to prevent it so he'd have to be culled).


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

*Could be just an eye inflammation....
*


> Longer-lasting changes to the shape of a pupil could be a result of an eye infection (following a scratch to the cornea), resulting in an inflammation of the iris. This can result in blindness if not treated.
> An inflammation of the iris (which could be caused by an infection, autoimmune disorder, arthritis or skin disease) could also be possibilities.


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## adorson (Jul 19, 2012)

I agree. It doesn't sound genetic. He should be fine as an adult. I had a chick that was injured pretty bad;y and he is now 2 years old. He is blind in one eye and takes care of his flock just fine! He is Hope my one eyed rooster!


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