How to recognize diamond eye?

[Lexi B]

My betta has always had poor eyesight, but recently i've been getting more concerned that it's getting worse. I can't get a clear shot of his eyes because the light in his tank is always too his back when he's closest to the glass. He also appears to be a bit more stressed today than usual, which i think is because I fed brine shrimp and he seemed to have a hard time locating it. 

The reasons I suspect diamond eye are poor vision, and a small metallic glimmer at the top of his eye that is the same color as his scales. He was a petco betta, and is admittedly of poor genetic quality. He has what looks like a small kink in his spine that has never appeared to affect him, but i think makes it more clear that he is quantity of quality. 

Mostly I am worried because I currently don't have the space to move him from his tank to an isolated and smaller tank, and wont have that space until I move out in 7 months. What can I do for him now, assuming I could be dealing with loss of vision?

[Zenzo]

On 11/12/2021 at 12:24 PM, Lexi B said:

My betta has always had poor eyesight, but recently i've been getting more concerned that it's getting worse. I can't get a clear shot of his eyes because the light in his tank is always too his back when he's closest to the glass. He also appears to be a bit more stressed today than usual, which i think is because I fed brine shrimp and he seemed to have a hard time locating it. 

The reasons I suspect diamond eye are poor vision, and a small metallic glimmer at the top of his eye that is the same color as his scales. He was a petco betta, and is admittedly of poor genetic quality. He has what looks like a small kink in his spine that has never appeared to affect him, but i think makes it more clear that he is quantity of quality. 

Mostly I am worried because I currently don't have the space to move him from his tank to an isolated and smaller tank, and wont have that space until I move out in 7 months. What can I do for him now, assuming I could be dealing with loss of vision?

Hi Lexi, in a recent presentation by Gianne Souza about bettas, she answered some questions about this. Basically, bettas have very good senses beyond just vision, and usually do not have a big decline in quality of life when their vision degrades.

My betta has a similar situation with his eyes, yet he is still able to hunt live food even though he most likely can't always see them. If you betta is in a relatively peaceful tank that is well cared for, it should be fine. 

If you want to view the presentation, it is on the Aquarium Co-Op member's videos under past presentations.