Why Does My Fish Have Cloudy Eyes?

Does your fish have only one cloudy eye?

Does your fish exhibits any other symptom of an illness?

Is the fish with cloudy eyes an older individual?

Do you supplement your fish food with vitamins?

Do you maintain good water quality and watch over the ammonia levels in the tank?

If just one eye has a milky sheen, then it means the condition is likely the result of a physical injury, such as a scratch or a bump on your fish’s eye. This type of injury usually clears up on its own, so long as no bacterial infection sets into the eye. In this situation, you may also notice a more superficial milky sheen in your fish’s eye, as the cloudiness will only be present on the surface of the cornea and wouldn’t involve the pupil.

A lowered immune system can result in cloudy eyes, specifically due to an infection. The most common cause of infection is bacteria, which often comes from a lack of maintenance in your tank. Parasites like flukes can also cause infections and they tend to come with poor tank conditions. Flukes will also damage the body of your fish, causing lesions, tears, and damaged fins.

Cataracts are a natural effect of aging in fish. A cataract refers to damage to the lens of the eye, causing it to become opaque. Older fishes can develop poor eyesight and eventually cataracts, which makes it difficult for them to navigate and feed. This is one of the most common eye problems in fish and something that you can do little to avoid. The best course of action is to keep your water conditions high quality and to avoid further contaminates.

Cloudy eyes can mean that your fish lacks vitamin A, which is crucial in maintaining their eye health. Modifying their diet will help to boost their immune system, ensure they have the vitamins required to operate in peak health, and also make them more comfortable.

Poor water quality often leads to cloudy eyes in fish, either directly or indirectly, usually due to a weakened immune system. As a result, it’s a common condition in new tanks. Purifying their water, ensuring a balance of all its necessary elements, and limiting the number of bacteria will help them recover. High ammonia levels can also cause cloudy eyes. To avoid this, regularly maintain your tank and check the levels within, ensuring that there is an appropriate degree of ammonia and nitrites present to suit your unique species.

There are a couple of fish species that have naturally cloudy or milky eyes. Goldfish cloudy eye isn’t an issue, since this is a part of their anatomy. Species of pufferfish and rabbitfish have a naturally white sheen on their eyes. To ensure that the cloudy eye is natural, the white sheen should be present in both eyes and would have been present since their hatching.