What's the best way to tell?

[Venin]

I got a pure white doe from a petshop the other day with milky blue eyes. I think she may be at least partially blind. She is very sensitive when it comes to being touched and usually runs off. She is a bit shy and I'm not sure it was because she is blind or because she wasn't handled correctly at the store. She doesn't seem to go to far from where she's been placed, and nudges things a lot.

I'd just like to know if there was a good way to check it, and if there was a way to make her feel more comfortable if she does turn out to be blind.

And I'm sorry if this is in the wrong area to post this, or if it's a reposted topic.

 

[kirbyultra]

How long ago did you bring her home? If she doesn't want to go anywhere far from where she's placed, it's possible she is just scared and unfamiliar with the environment. Does she have a spot to hide, like a cardboard box with a hole in it? If she's just out in the open with no cover, she might be feeling scared to stillness.

Once I believe my vet told me that the pupil reaction test that is usually performed on humans doesn't really work with bunnies so it's not a good test for blindness (where you shine a light in the eye and then take the light away to see if the pupils dilate)... unfortunately I don't really know what to look for in determining a blind bunny. A vet might be able to tell for sure. But so far what you're describing doesn't sound too much different from a scared bunny. Maybe she needs more time?

 

[tonyshuman]

What do you mean by milky? Are the pupils opaque, or solid, clear black?

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

The way us 4-Hers are taught to look for blindness, is by holding the rabbit up (left hand holding scruff and ears to nape of neck, NOT just by the ears!, and supporting the rump with your right hand) and basically just rotating your wrist and letting the rabbit look around as s/he watches their surroundings... It's kind of hard to explain... I could probably get a video of it, but this lets you see if the rabbit is moving it's eyes, and if so, then they have vision, because they are detecting their surroundings. A blind rabbit won't move their eyes.

Emily

 

[Venin]

@Kirby: I did it, and there was very slow and little dialation. I'm not exactly certain what that means though. I've even tried putting my hand infront of her eye without pushing wind at her or touching her whiskers, and she doesn't blink. She only blinks when I touch her whiskers by her eyes.

@Tony: Solid black.

It's hard to tell with her, I'll have to tape her. She's very cautious in movement, and keeps her head low while walking (she takes one step at a time, sniffs the ground, and then repeats. Even in an area she farmiliar ineven though it's not as much, once she sniffs the ground and realizes where she is she's off.) She has odd whiskers, they areshort and curly, so she can't really feel around without dipping her head very low down. When I go to her cage door she comes up to it, and doesn't move when I open it, only when I touch her.

 

[missyscove]

At the vet I worked in they would toss cotton balls at the animal to check for blindness. They should see them coming and react. If they don't - well, they don't see them - but even so, being hit in the face with a cotton ball won't be painful.