If you suddenly noticed that your baby’s eyes are watery, or they turned red, you don’t need to rush to the pharmacy for medications. First you need to consult a doctor. After all, conjunctivitis in a child is a serious enough disease that requires the help of an ophthalmologist.
A disease called conjunctivitis appears unexpectedly and rapidly. It would seem that yesterday the baby did not complain about anything, but today his eyes are swollen and reddened. The reasons for its appearance are different, as are the treatment methods. To begin with, we will need to find out what conjunctivitis is in newborns, what types of this disease exist and their features. And then it is worth discussing methods of dealing with it. We will talk about all this further.
So, conjunctivitis in a child is inflammation and redness of the eye, resulting from the entry of viruses or bacteria into it. This disease is quite common among children, both enough adults and infants. But in the case of newborns, you need to be especially careful, and you can not do without the help of doctors.
By the way, conjunctivitis can occur due to an infection brought into the lacrimal canal of the baby during childbirth (when it is blocked). But most often, the cause of its appearance is dirty hands, through which viruses enter the eyes of children.
An infected toy can also cause a disease if, after a child holds it in his hands, he rubbed his eyes. Therefore, babies must initially explain that with unwashed hands, eyes should not be rubbed in any case.
Conjunctivitis in a child is divided into the following types:
- bacterial;
- viral;
- allergic.
All types combine symptoms such as lacrimation and redness of the eyes. However, each of the species has its own distinctive features.
Bacterial . This type is the most common and is accompanied by the following symptoms:
- simultaneous inflammation of both eyes;
- swelling of the lower and upper eyelids;
- abundant secretion of pus and mucus, which stick together the eyelids.
Most often, bacterial conjunctivitis occurs in infants, as a result of bacteria entering the eyes during passage of the birth canal. Conjunctivitis in a newborn is treated quickly and very rarely accompanied by complications. With proper treatment, all symptoms disappear in 5-7 days.
Viral Basis The onset of viral conjunctivitis is an acute respiratory viral disease or the common cold. It is accompanied by the following symptoms:
- inflammation of one eye;
- the course of profuse tears (as with crying);
- in some cases, profuse purulent discharge.
Viral conjunctivitis is very rare among babies, and is treated for a long enough time - 2-3 weeks.
Allergic. May appear as a child's reaction to house dust, animal hair, or plant pollen. Its symptoms appear immediately, and are often accompanied by a cough or runny nose. So, the symptoms are:
- the child often and severely scratches and rubs his eyes;
- lack of pus.
How to treat conjunctivitis in a child?
In order to cure his baby in a short time, mother must strictly comply with all the doctor’s instructions.
So, antiviral drugs will be required to treat viral conjunctivitis , and antibiotics (ointment or drops) for bacterial conjunctivitis . In case of allergic conjunctivitis, before starting treatment, you need to identify the allergen, protect your baby from it, and then proceed to the complex treatment: antihistamines and drops.
In order to reduce inflammation of the eyes, they need to be washed every two to three hours. For this purpose, decoctions of nettle, calendula, sage and chamomile are suitable.
During illness, it is better to refuse walking in the fresh air, because the cold or bright sun is very harmful for patients with conjunctivitis.
Dear parents, remember that if you find conjunctivitis symptoms in your child, you do not need to resort to home methods. Running to the ophthalmologist. Only he can prescribe the only correct treatment!