Conjunctivitis in a child: causes, symptoms, treatment and prevention

Conjunctivitis in a child is much more common than in adult patients. Its danger lies not only in the fact that the baby experiences severe discomfort, vision problems begin, but also in the fact that the pathology is very contagious.

Pathology Description

Conjunctivitis in a child is an inflammatory process that affects the mucous membrane of the eye. The disease can be of different types, but the symptoms of each of them are similar. More often this problem occurs in the summer, when ideal conditions are created for the propagation of pathogenic microflora.

Conjunctivitis in a child carries a danger, as it can cause serious complications - up to partial or complete loss of vision. The inflammatory process can develop due to a decrease in immunity. And any viral or bacterial disease can affect it.

Development reasons

Before treating conjunctivitis in a child, it is necessary to find out what factors provoke it. The pathology can be caused by such reasons:

• Eye diseases: myopia, strabismus, farsightedness.
• Mechanical damage to the organs of vision.
• Overwork, overcooling of the body.
• Long-term influence of ultraviolet rays, dust, smoke, dirt.
• Allergic reaction.
• Weakening of the body's defenses.
• Prolonged use of antibiotics or other powerful drugs.
• Frequent damage to the body by viral infections.
• Pathologies accompanied by the development of a purulent process.

Conjunctivitis in a child can occur from the first days of birth. Especially if the mother is diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease. Therefore, eye sanitation with drugs is done in the first hour after the birth of the baby.

Disease classification

Before treating conjunctivitis in a child, you need to determine its type. It depends on what drugs the patient will be prescribed. The etiological factor distinguishes the following types of disease:

1. Viral. The eyes in this case are affected asymmetrically. The development of pathology is affected by the same viruses that cause respiratory diseases. Discharge from the eyes is slight, light.
2. Bacterial. It is characterized by abundant discharge with an admixture of pus.
3. Allergic conjunctivitis in children. The cause of this pathology is the body's reaction to the stimulus: dust, pollen of plants, animal hair. If the discharge in this case is scarce, then the swelling of the eyelids and redness of the conjunctiva are strongly expressed.
4. Chlamydial.
5. Reactive. Such a pathology develops rapidly and is characterized by vivid manifestations.

By the nature of the inflammatory process, one can distinguish the following types of conjunctivitis:

• Catarrhal (discharge does not contain pus).
• Filmy (on the surface of the eye a thin film is formed that impairs vision).
• Purulent conjunctivitis in children.

Young children have a high susceptibility to the infectious type of pathology, since they still have an imperfect immune system.

Symptoms of pathology

The disease usually proceeds sharply with vivid symptoms. The signs of conjunctivitis in children are as follows:

• Redness of the organ of vision.
• Swelling of the eyelids, their bonding.
• The appearance of discharge from the eyes.
• Increased lacrimation, fear of light.
• Visual impairment.
• Headache.
• Foreign body sensation, pain and burning, itching in eyes.
• Decreased appetite, sleep disturbance.
• Enlarged lymph nodes.
• Fever.

The severity of signs of conjunctivitis in children is different. It all depends on the degree of development of the disease, the protective forces of the child's body. Pathology is contagious, therefore, during treatment, the baby is not desirable to attend kindergarten or school.

The chronic form is characterized by a sluggish course, with it both eyes are affected, the symptoms appear slowly. There is slight redness of the eyes and swelling of the eyelids. The chronic form is treated for a long time and is quite difficult. Sometimes you can’t completely get rid of such a disease.

Pathology diagnostics

There is nothing complicated in detecting a disease. The doctor fixes signs of conjunctivitis in children, the baby is examined on a slit lamp. Additionally, the doctor can send the patient for such tests:

• General and biochemical analysis of blood, urine.
• Allergy tests.
• Sowing microflora.
• Scraping from the conjunctiva.

The child will need a consultation with an ophthalmologist, ENT specialist, immunologist, allergist.

Urgently see a doctor if:

1. The baby is not yet a year old.
2. The patient's health is deteriorating sharply.
3. The function of vision decreases sharply.
4. Multiple capillary damage to the eyes has occurred.
5. Follicles appeared on the eyelids, filled with pus.
6. Body temperature has risen.

It is impossible to ignore purulent conjunctivitis in children, since it itself will not pass, and the consequences can leave.

General treatment rules

In order to understand how to quickly cure conjunctivitis in a child, the following general rules for the implementation of therapy should be observed:

• Washing and instillation of the eyes should be done without screaming, irritation, nervousness. The child should show by his own example that there is nothing bad or dangerous in this procedure.
• Even if one organ of vision is affected, both must be processed.
• Before performing the procedure, an adult should wash his hands thoroughly with soap. For each eye you need to use a separate gauze disk. The child should be placed in a comfortable position on his back. First, eye washing is performed, and then instillation. The lower eyelid must be pulled so as to access the pocket underneath. The drug should get as close to the outer corner as possible.
• After the procedure, the child will either have to blink or keep his eye open. It is forbidden to squint.
• If the baby is prescribed ointment, then it is necessary to lay it under the lower eyelid with the index finger.
• During washing, all movements are made from the outer corner of the eye to the inner.
• After improving the condition of a small patient, it is possible to reduce the number of instillations in the eyes.
• For the use of drops, babies require a pipette with a rounded edge. The procedure is carried out so that under the head the child does not have a pillow. His head must be held at this moment.
• If the child cannot open his eyes, then it is not necessary to force him to do this. The medicine is buried directly on the surface of the eyelids. Part of it will necessarily get inside.
• If the drug is stored in the refrigerator, then before use it should be warmed with your hands to room temperature.
• Do not use expired drugs.
• A child who has reached the age of 7 can use drops and ointments on their own. He just needs to show how this is done.

It is better not to use cotton swabs or discs for the treatment of organs of vision, since particles of them remain on the surface of the conjunctiva, which further aggravates the condition of a small patient. It is forbidden to make compresses on the eyes of small children. Thanks to them, you can create a favorable environment for the development of pathogenic microflora.

Traditional treatment of pathology

Since it is possible to quickly cure conjunctivitis in a child with the help of medicines, it is necessary to consult a doctor so that he prescribes drops or ointments, depending on the type of disease:

1. Viral. Here you will need local drugs, the main active ingredient of which is interferon. Since viral conjunctivitis is spreading rapidly, you should protect the baby from close communication with other children for several days. It is important to know how much conjunctivitis is treated in this type of child. It will take an average of 5-7 days to recover. In a severe case, it may take at least 2-3 weeks. If follicles formed as a result, then the baby is hospitalized. Typically, a child is prescribed medications such as Pikloksidin, as well as medications based on silver nitrate.
2. Bacterial. In this case, tetracycline antibiotics are required in the form of ointments or eye drops. The duration of therapy depends on which pathogen provoked the disease. It will be necessary to fight it from several weeks to 2 months. A severe course is characterized by conjunctivitis caused by gonococcus or meningococcus. Eye wash is carried out every 2-3 hours. For treatment, erythromycin, tetracycline, ofloxacin are suitable. Drops and ointments based on these substances are used during the time prescribed by the doctor. To exclude relapse, instill the organ of vision a few days after the disappearance of symptoms.
3. Allergic conjunctivitis in children can last for years. In this case, periods of exacerbation and remission alternate. In order to completely get rid of the pathology, it is necessary to eliminate the annoying factor, and this can not always be achieved. For therapy, anti-allergic eye drops are used . With a complex course of pathology, antihistamines in tablet form will be required. The baby is assigned Alomid, Lecrolin. The duration of therapy is from 2 weeks to a month. Next you need to take a break. If necessary, the treatment is repeated.

For washing the eyes, saline, antiseptics, boric acid are used. Furacilin for conjunctivitis in children is also used for this purpose.

Treatment of such a disease in infants cannot be carried out independently. With the viral form of the pathology, the child is regularly washed with saline until all the symptoms have disappeared. In such patients, inflammation of the mucous membrane may be associated with incomplete opening of the lacrimal canal. Standard drugs in this case will not give the desired effect.

The channel can open on its own by 8 months of life. If conjunctivitis in a one-year-old child is provoked by such a cause, then by this age it will also disappear. But the symptoms can be alleviated by massaging the inner corner of the eye several times a day.

Folk remedies

How much conjunctivitis is treated in a child depends on what type of disease develops. To speed up the healing process, folk remedies can be used along with medicines. Such recipes will be useful:

• Chamomile solution. It should not be saturated. Need 1 tbsp. l flowers pour a glass of boiling water. After infusion, the liquid is filtered and buried in the eyes 4-5 times a day. Also, the broth is used to wash the conjunctiva.
• Bay leaf. It requires 3-4 leaves to grind and pour 200 ml of boiled water. With such an infusion, it is necessary to wipe the organs of vision up to 6 times a day.
• Cucumber juice. It is used for short-term compresses on the eyes of older children.
• Liquid honey. To prepare the drops, you need to stir 1 tbsp. l raw materials with 2 tbsp. l pure water. The liquid is also used for washing the eyes.
• Strong black tea (leaf). It effectively relieves inflammation. Before use, the liquid must be slightly warmed up to a comfortable temperature.
• Dill juice. It is used for short-term compresses. The procedure is repeated up to 5 times a day. Thanks to this tool, you can quickly get rid of the purulent form of the disease.

If the child has conjunctivitis, what to do is already clear. But do not consider folk treatment a panacea. Before using any prescription, a doctor’s permission is required. This is especially true for infants.

Possible complications

Adults are accustomed to believing that the pathology presented does not have serious consequences, but such an opinion is considered erroneous. If the therapy was not carried out in a timely manner or the drugs were prescribed incorrectly, then the child may develop such complications:

• Transition of the acute process into a chronic form.
• Decreased visual acuity.
• Sepsis. Blood infection occurs with bacterial conjunctivitis, if microorganisms get into it.
• Meningitis.
• Infectious lesion of the middle ear.

Such complications in children rarely occur and are reversible. However, it is better not to worsen the condition.

Additional recommendations for parents

Prevention of conjunctivitis in children is not complicated. If you observe it, then you can not only prevent the relapse of the disease, but also its primary development. So, such recommendations will help parents:

• Observe the personal hygiene of the baby. Do not let the child touch their eyes with dirty hands.
• Avoid contact with people who have a presented pathology.
• Exclude any irritating factors that contribute to the development of the inflammatory process. This applies to dust, chemicals (including household detergents, washing powders).
• Avoid mechanical damage to the organs of vision.
• Timely treat any infectious and viral diseases.
• Follow all doctors recommendations regarding newborn care.
• Strengthen immunity with multivitamin preparations, good nutrition.

Conjunctivitis often occurs in childhood, but it should be taken seriously. Delay with therapy is fraught with complications. Particular care must be taken with newborn children.