The need to treat conjunctivitis in children at least once in a lifetime was faced by all parents. After all, who, if not they, is worried about the health of their baby from the moment he was born. Immature immunity is the main reason for the susceptibility and susceptibility of the child's body to various infections, which are manifested by unpleasant, uncomfortable symptoms.
The basic principle of effective treatment of conjunctivitis in a child is its timeliness. The clinical manifestations of this disease, affecting the organs of vision, may seem insignificant only at first glance. However, without proper treatment, the symptoms quickly worsen, and the disease progresses.
Description and pathogenesis of the disease
Conjunctivitis is an inflammatory process that affects the mucous membrane of the eye. Pathology can affect only one organ of vision, but with non-compliance with hygiene rules and refusal of treatment, the disease quickly passes to the second eye. A complication of this disease can be blepharoconjunctivitis, which affects the eyelids, or keratoconjunctivitis, in which the cornea suffers.
Conjunctivitis in children can be caused by various etiological factors. The symptoms of the disease, the nature of the course and the choice of appropriate therapy will depend on the nature of the origin of the disease. There are three main varieties of conjunctivitis that occur in adulthood and childhood:
- Bacterial. This type of disease is provoked by contact with the mucous membrane of the eye of pathogenic microflora. The disease is especially difficult to tolerate, the causative agent of which is Staphylococcus aureus, gonococcus, pneumococcus, chlamydia. Since infectious conjunctivitis occurs in children with fever, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory drugs may be needed.
- Viral. The disease manifests itself as a result of viral damage to the organs of vision. Most often, this type of conjunctivitis develops as a complication of ARVI. Especially dangerous is conjunctivitis, which occurs against the background of ophthalmic herpes.
- Allergic. In this case, conjunctival inflammation is the reaction of the mucosa to the action of an irritant (allergen). It can be anything: chemicals, detergents, pollen, odors, animal hair, etc.
How to use medical products
Regardless of the cause of conjunctivitis in children, the treatment of this disease is carried out by the method of instillation of eye drops and ointments. The choice of medication must be agreed with the attending physician. In addition, it is important to consider several rules for the use of conjunctivitis drops for children:
- Apply the drug as often as recommended in the instructions for a particular drug.
- Before the procedure, be sure to wash your hands with soap.
- If drops from conjunctivitis are used for children up to a year, it is necessary to ensure that no more than one drop gets into each eye of the baby. It is important that the child lies on a flat surface (for example, on a changing table).
- The instillation itself occurs as follows: with your thumb you need to carefully pull the lower eyelid and drip into the corner where the conjunctival sac is located.
- After this, the eye must be blotted with a cotton pad. The used sponge must be discarded so as not to confuse it with a clean one.
- Bury the second eye in the same way and attach an unused cotton pad.
As for the use of eye ointment for conjunctivitis for children, it is placed under the lower eyelid, in the conjunctival cavity. This procedure is similar to the previous one. Unlike drops, eye ointments form a surface film on the mucous membrane, so they are used only after instillation. Do not forget that open bottles and tubes can be stored no longer than a month.
With bacterial conjunctivitis
In most cases, doctors recommend using eye drops that have a bactericidal property. However, the use of such drugs is not always sufficient for the complete destruction of bacteria on the organs of vision. In complicated clinical cases, patients are additionally prescribed tablet antibiotics.
"Sulfacyl sodium"
This medication is often used to treat bacterial conjunctivitis in children. "Sulfacyl sodium" refers to a group of sulfanilamide drugs with antimicrobial properties. Eye drops of a high, 30% concentration are allowed to be used once even for newborns in order to prevent the development of gonoblenorrhea, the causative agent of which is gonococcus. Most often, babies become infected with it, passing through the infected birth canal of the mother.
In bacterial conjunctivitis caused by staphylococcal, gonococcal or other infections, the child is prescribed 10% sodium sulfacyl. It is necessary to drip eyes with this drug not less than 10 days. It is worth noting that a solution of Sulfacil Sodium of a higher concentration (20%) can cause burning and itching, therefore, for prolonged use, children are not prescribed it. These drops from conjunctivitis for children are contraindicated in case of allergic reactions.
Tobrex
This is an antimicrobial drug whose active ingredient is tobramycin. Often, the use of “Tobrex” for conjunctivitis in children is advisable in case of allergic manifestations to fluoroquinolones, as well as an alternative to 30% sodium sulfacyl for infants.
By the way, for several years after release, this drug was not allowed to be used to treat babies due to lack of evidence of its safety. Today, it is often prescribed to infants.
The treatment of conjunctivitis in young children is built according to this scheme: 1 drop is dripped into both eyes for seven days. It is enough to use "Tobrex" once a day. It is worth noting that this drug is dispensed without a prescription, therefore it is sometimes confused with Toradex eye drops, which are not its analogue - they contain steroid components that are dangerous for babies.
Erythromycin
An antibacterial ointment from the group of local macrolides has a wide list of indications for use. The use of "Erythromycin" is resorted to when other drugs are helpless in the treatment of gonococcus, chlamydia, tuberculosis, fungal infections of the conjunctiva of the eye, etc. Such an ointment can be used for individual intolerance to antibiotics of the penicillin group.
The drug is laid in both eyes three times a day for a week. "Erythromycin" is usually combined with other antibacterial ointments for conjunctivitis for children due to the rapid development of pathogen resistance to the active substance.
Phloxal
This is another antibiotic for conjunctivitis for children. Eye drops of the fluoroquinolone group are considered one of the fastest. Their only drawback is the lack of recommendations for use in infants due to the high likelihood of side effects and the formation of resistance of pathogenic microflora to fluoroquinols in the future.
Apply "Phloxal", as a rule, from 7 years. The dosage is determined by the doctor, but often the drug is used according to this scheme: drip in both eyes for 1-2 drops for 10 days. Photophobia, mild swelling of the eyelid, increased lacrimation are not a reason for canceling the drug.
With viral conjunctivitis
Antiviral drops affect cells, destroying the pathogen. This form of the disease is characterized by lacrimation with transparent discharge. Viral conjunctivitis is contagious and easily transmitted. The disease affects people of all age categories, but the disease is especially often diagnosed in preschool children and infants.
Ophthalmoferon
The advantage of these eye drops can be called a successful combination of substances. The composition of Ophthalmoferon for conjunctivitis in children includes human recombinant interferon and diphenhydramine. When used, the drug has an antiviral and antiallergic effect, which allows you to simultaneously affect the viral agent and reduce the severity of inflammation, eliminate swelling and other symptoms associated with this disease.
Ophthalmoferon has a high concentration of active components only within the conjunctival sac, so many experts prescribe it to infants. In addition, these eye drops cope with itching and burning. The drug is especially effective in the fight against adenovirus, herpetic infection that affects the organs of vision.
Antiviral drops from conjunctivitis for children are preferably used immediately as soon as the initial symptoms of the disease appear. The frequency of instillation is as follows: up to 8 times a day, one drop in both conjunctival cavities. Apply for no more than five days.
A contraindication to the use of Ophthalmoferon is dry eye syndrome - with the viral form of conjunctivitis, the effectiveness of the drug decreases. It is not recommended to use these eye drops with hypersensitivity to the active components.
Aktipol
Unlike the previous drug, this one does not contain an analog of human interferon. Actipol acts on a different principle: the para-aminobenzoic acid, which is part of it, stimulates the synthesis of its own interferon, which provides powerful antiviral protection, eliminates swelling and starts regenerative processes in the cornea.
For babies and toddlers under the age of three, "Aktipol" is used for 5-7 days. The drug is instilled one drop in conjunctival sacs every 2 hours, but no more than eight times during the day. The likelihood of developing an allergic reaction is quite high, so "Aktipol" is often used simultaneously with antihistamine eye drops.
Oftan Idu
In comparison with the antiviral eye drops described above, this drug has age restrictions: it can be used by children from two years old, this medicine is not suitable for infants.
One of the active components of Oftan Idu is idoxuridine, an anti-herpes substance. Therefore, eye drops are suitable for the treatment of conjunctivitis in children caused by type 1 human herpes virus.
The disadvantages of the drug "Oftan Idu" include the difficulty of use. To achieve good results in treatment, it is important to strictly follow the recommendations of the attending physician. The specialist develops an individual therapy regimen for each patient. The standard mode of application for eye drops is as follows:
- Until the condition stabilizes, the drug is dripped into the conjunctival sac one drop every hour throughout the day and every two hours at night.
- As soon as the patient's condition is normalized, they continue to drip in the same way during the day, and at night the interval between procedures is increased to 3 hours.
- To fix the “Oftan Idu” effect, it is used a few more days after recovery, but the total treatment with these drops should not exceed three weeks.
Contraindications of the medication include deep erosion of the cornea, since antiviral components significantly slow down its recovery processes. Often in children there is an adverse reaction to "Oftan Ida" in the form of itching, photophobia, slight redness of the sclera. Everything passes on the 2-3rd day of the use of the product.
Zovirax
This is an antiviral ocular ointment that can withstand herpesvirus and cytomegalovirus infections. Treatment of conjunctivitis in children of the first year of life caused by these microorganisms is carried out for 3-5 days. As a rule, this time is enough to achieve positive dynamics.
The ointment is laid under the lower eyelid in the form of a small pea. As soon as acyclovir (the main active substance) begins to act, a slight burning sensation appears, which disappears after a couple of minutes. By the way, acyclovir can cause allergies, so children with hypersensitivity to medications are prescribed it with caution.
With allergic conjunctivitis
The appointment of antihistamines is caused by the need to eliminate or at least reduce the severity of the symptoms of this disease in children. Treatment of conjunctivitis of an allergic nature will bring results only if a provoking factor is found. To achieve the expected therapeutic effect, it is crucial to eliminate the irritant.
Lecrolin
Eye drops of non-hormonal origin are approved for use in childhood after four years. The main active ingredient is sodium cromoglycate. This substance instantly acts on mast cells and stabilizes their membranes. Accordingly, the production of histamine begins to decline rapidly, which allows you to stop the symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis.
It is important to understand that Lecrolin or its analogues for children (Levocabastine, Azelastine) do not fight the allergen itself. The task that antihistamine eye drops perform is to eliminate puffiness, redness of the sclera, decrease in photosensitivity, etc. It is especially important for allergic children to drip the drug during the flowering season of allergenic plants for prophylactic purposes.
Lacrisifi
Drops with an antihistamine property quickly relieve itching. If the child has severely itchy eyes with allergic conjunctivitis, the appointment of this drug is required. In addition, Lacrisifi reduces the severity of symptoms of allergic rhinitis, since the medicine, after instillation, partially enters the nasal cavity through the lacrimal canal.
Unlike antihistamines of systemic action (tablets and syrups), eye drops do not cause such side effects as drowsiness, nausea, etc. The effect of the drug appears a few minutes after instillation and lasts about 10 hours.
Contraindication to the use of "Lacrisifi" is only individual intolerance to the components of the drug. These eye drops are not used for conjunctivitis of a bacterial or viral type.
Home recipes
Treatment of conjunctivitis in a child with folk remedies will be effective only if it is used in combination with drugs prescribed by the doctor. Home remedies are especially good when you need to alleviate the unpleasant symptoms of an eye condition. For the most part, folk remedies are not intended for use as the main therapy. In addition, it is possible to treat a child with such medicines only after a diagnosis is established and approved by an ophthalmologist. For children use folk remedies prepared according to the following recipes:
- Chamomile wash solution. On 1 tbsp. l dry raw materials take 250 ml of boiling water and insist for half an hour. After filtering through gauze, the baby's eyes are washed with cotton pads (one swab - one movement and only one eye).
- Lotions from the root of the marshmallow. Buy a plant in a pharmacy, grind and pour it in the amount of one tablespoon of 100 ml of boiled water. After half an hour, the product is ready for use.
- Lotions with cucumber juice. Grate the fresh vegetable, strain the resulting juice. Then moisten gauze napkins in it and apply for 5-10 minutes to the eyes.
- Drops with aloe. Agave juice obtained from fleshy leaves is mixed in half with saline or cold boiled water in a ratio of 1: 3. Use no longer than 5 days.
- Drops with honey. If the child is not allergic to the bee product, the medicine is done as follows: for 1 tsp. honey take 3 tbsp. l warm (not hot!) boiled water. Drop 1-2 drops in each eye to relieve symptoms.