Yes, popeye is an illness.. Its hard to tell from your pictures if he actually has it or if thats the normal betta eyes.
Popeye •Symptoms: One or both eyes will swell and bulge out. It in itself can also be a symptom of Dropsy.
•Treatment: Usually not fatal if treated, but your betta might lose an eye. Conservative: If the swelling is extreme then use ES first. Perform 100% daily water changes. You may be able to treat the popeye with just Epsom and clean water. However, if the swelling goes down but the eyes remain cloudy/white, then switch to Aq.Salt at 1tsp/gal or use medications. Do not combine Aq.Salt with medications but you can continue to use ES during medical treatments. Medication: If ES or Aq.Salt do not do the trick or it is a serious case of popeye, then combine the ES with API Tetracycline, API Fungus Cure, API General Cure, API Triple Sulfa, OR Mardel’s Maracyn
Thanks guys for the info,though we had kept Betta for several years in the past,we had never seen or heard of this. I'll do the ES and water changes,but that's all we can afford to do until I get paid again on the third LOL (not really "LOL'ing",figure of speech ),we thought maybe he'd been squeezed too hard in transit or similar and bulged his eye from it's little socket. Thank you for the heads up.
I'll try and get a better pic if he'll let me,to show it better (it's his right eye).
I finally got the gravel and tank decorations for Lex. I thought he would be super excited to be in his new home, and start going everywhere. However, he is taking it in very slowly. It's like he's exploring and scared at the new surroundings. He didn't go inside the pineapple till 2 hours later. I hope he's happy. I regret not getting a bigger tank, but this will have to do for a while.
I like it,cute,reminds me of Spongebob (that's his house -one is never too old to enjoy SB ),and he looks happy in there When you can move up to a bigger tank,they also make/sell Squidward's house,and figurines of several characters as well,that'd make a cool setup,IMHO
To be honest, I'm not a Spongebob fan. I didn't even want to get it when I realized it was from Spongebob; my friend pointed that out. However, it was too cute to not get it... so I did. This was in Walmart, which didn't have many options. :( Then I went to a PetSmart, which was close to Walmart (didn't know it was even there). I fell in love with all the tank decorations. They had soooo many! That's when I regret not getting the bigger tank.
LOL,fan or not,the tank still looks cool,IMO. Don't worry,you can get a bigger tank later,have fun with your new friend for now and let tomorrow take care of itself
Just some friendly suggestions... I notice you aren't using a heater. Bettas are tropical fish and are happiest when their water is around 76 F - 82 F. You will need to purchase a aquarium thermometer to monitor the temps, but they are cheap. Unless the ambient air temperature is constant 80 F where your Betta is kept, then his tank isn't warm enough.
Also, I'm sure Mr. Betta would enjoy having some plants and a hiding spot he can retreat to.
Check out the eBook Betta Fish Care Made Easy
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LOL (not really "LOL'ing",figure of speech 
),we thought maybe he'd been squeezed too hard in transit or similar and bulged his eye from it's little socket. Thank you for the heads up.
-one is never too old to enjoy SB 
When you can move up to a bigger tank,they also make/sell Squidward's house,and figurines of several characters as well,that'd make a cool setup,IMHO 
