# Shrimp Eyesight Question



## AshleyMac (Jun 22, 2011)

I have a cherry shrimp that is missing an eye. Most of the stalk is gone, though there is a very small piece of black in the middle. The other eye doesn't look so hot either. It is smaller than usual and surrounded by like a whitish/glaucoma looking thing. 

I am pretty sure one of my old white clouds took it off. They were taken to the fish store as soon as I saw it was gone. She seems somewhat ok, but compared to her other female cherry companion, she is much more reclusive and never leaves a certain area of the tank. Usually I am lucky if I see her for an hour a day...and the tank is right next to me on my desk at work (I work 12+ hours) So three questions.

1. Loosing an eye to trauma like that - what kind of health effects could it have on her in the future?

2. How well do shrimp see? I can only seem to find info on mantis eyesight, but I am pretty sure small freshwater shrimp do not have such complicated eyes. She gets herself into strange positions, wedged in odd angles of rock and gravel.

3. Finally, if this actually happened during a bad molt before I got her, how likely would it be that future molts will be difficult? BTW knock on wood, I have not had molt problems with my shrimp before.


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## aelysa (Oct 20, 2006)

Unfotunately eyes are the only thing that won't regenerate on a shrimp. But if there aren't any predators in the tank and she can still find food, she can have a very nice shrimp life


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

Yeah, poor fellers don't regrow eyes. legs, claws, antennae, all grow back, but not organs (eyeballs)

Dang fish, always eating eyeballs!


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## AshleyMac (Jun 22, 2011)

She came out for a picture or two


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## jasonpatterson (Apr 15, 2011)

As long as she's eating, she should be fine. There's not a whole lot you can do for a shrimp. Perhaps I'll throw a shrimp on the dissecting scope and see what its eyes look like.  If I do I'll post pics. (No shrimp will be harmed in the process.)


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## zdnet (Aug 13, 2010)

According to Caridean Shrimp Anatomy, shrimp eyes are montion-sensitive and can detect only moving objects. Shrimps use their antennae to detect non-moving objects.

Judging from the second photo above, the shrimp had lost its left eye, and probably its eye stalk as well. But the rostrum and scaphocerite are intact. Since the eye stalk on a shrimp is movable, the one for the right eye can probably make up for the lost. Following are couple close-up shots of a fire red cherry shrimp.

Front view:









Side view:


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## GDP (Mar 12, 2011)

I sorta figured they were motion senstivie as they only react to my presense when I move.


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## AshleyMac (Jun 22, 2011)

Wow those photos are amazing, thank you! I did a huge re-scape today and this shrimp seems much happier. She has been out all over the tank eating and exploring. Glad to know she is not as handicapped as I thought.


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