With pop-eye disease, increased pressure causes the fish's eyes to bulge out.
If a fish’s one or both eyes bulge notably from its head, it seems listless, and is eating poorly, it is likely suffering from the rare pop-eye disease. Discover what this means for your fish in this article.
The protruding “pop eyes” are usually not a disease in their own right, but rather a symptom of another fish disease. Increased pressure causes the fish’s eyes to bulge out, leading to pain for the creature.
To help your fish stock as soon as possible, it is therefore important to quickly identify the cause of the illness.
Fish in both aquariums and ponds can suffer from pop-eye disease. The symptoms are usually easy to spot:
If one or more of your fish display signs of pop-eye disease, you should definitely contact your veterinarian.
Diagnosis of pop-eye disease is made based on visible changes. However, a comprehensive discussion with the pet owner and a detailed, general examination are still essential.
In larger fish populations, pathological-anatomical, bacteriological, and parasitological examinations make sense. For this, your veterinarian often performs a swab. If multiple animals are affected, taking and examining water samples can also be helpful.
In general, you should treat sick animals in a quarantine tank and observe the remaining fish for signs of illness. Only reintroduce them to the aquarium or pond once they have fully recovered.
If bacteria trigger pop-eye disease, your veterinarian will provide an antibiotic to prevent further spread. The medication comes in the form of drops for the aquarium water or as medicated fish food.
Alder cones and/or Indian almond leaves may help as a supplement since they have anti-inflammatory and mild antibacterial effects. Additionally, they prevent fungal growth.
Avoid stress at all costs. If poor water quality is the cause of pop-eye disease, perform a water change with treated tap water or salted reverse osmosis water to reduce germ pressure.
In cases of gas supersaturation, refrain from changing the water until the pop eyes slowly regress.
Even with treatment, protruding eyes cannot always be cured. However, with timely treatment, pop eyes usually retract on their own.
If the cause is a high carbon dioxide content or gas supersaturation after a water change, blood vessels or tissues may also be destroyed in addition to pop-eye problems. In this case, the fish can die.
Fish that are severely affected and suffering should be humanely euthanized as painlessly and stress-free as possible.
Pop-eye disease isn’t strictly a disease, but rather a symptom. There are therefore various causes for protruding eyes. It rarely occurs in completely healthy fish.
Various environmental influences can favour the outbreak of pop-eye disease. Poor water quality or even poisoning are some of the main causes.
Inflammation of the eye socket, kidney inflammation, and tuberculosis can lead to pop eyes.
Marine fish tuberculosis (caused by Mycobacterium marinum) can also feature pop-eye as a symptom in the later stages of the illness. Tuberculosis always causes a severe disruption of general well-being, which you can notice from your fish’s behaviour.
is caused by fluid accumulation in the body due to restricted kidney function, for instance from a bacterial infection like tuberculosis.
due to renal insufficiency causes water to accumulate in the fish’s body and eye sockets, leading to increased pressure that affects the eyes.
An injured eye might significantly bulge; however, in this case, it is usually reddish and/or bleeding.
often occurs immediately after a water change due to gas supersaturation in the tank, forming tiny bubbles in the aquarium and the fish’s tissues, which destroy tissue parts or clog blood vessels, thus causing pop eyes.
is often the cause of pop-eye disease. Please check pH, KH, ammonium, nitrite, and nitrate levels. Excessive CO₂ levels can also be a cause of pop-eye disease.
in the head area may push your fish’s eyes outwards.
inadequate vitamin intake can lead to pop eyes.
© Andrey Nikitin / stock.adobe.com
Make sure to regularly change the water in your aquarium and remove dead animals, decayed plants, and leftover food. Also, clean the filters and monitor the pH value and water temperature.
Moreover, you can support the immune system by feeding your fish a species-appropriate diet with high-quality fish food.
This article from zooplus Magazine is purely informative. If your pet is experiencing discomfort, contact your veterinarian for diagnosis and treatment.
I studied veterinary medicine at LMU Munich, where I also finished my PhD in 2012. After that, I was able to gain a lot of experience, for example as a practicing veterinarian and scientific advisor. Particularly important to me is the continuous improvement of animal welfare and farm animal medicine. My greatest concern has always been to act in the best interest of my patients and to provide them with optimal care. In addition to my veterinary knowledge, I am happy to share my experience as a horsewoman and long-time dog owner, as well as a dog sportswoman.
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