Conjunctivitis is a very common disease. There is an ailment at any age, but still children are more prone to its occurrence. The main reason for this is non-compliance by children with basic hygiene rules. On a walk, they touch everything in a row, and then rub their eyes with dirty hands, as a result of which bacterial conjunctivitis develops.
By the way, this is not the only form of pathology. In childhood, viral and allergic conjunctivitis can also occur. What to do with these diseases to parents, how to treat the baby and is it possible to take him for walks? Let's try to figure it out.
How does the disease manifest
There is probably no need to talk about the symptoms of a disease such as conjunctivitis. Every adult knows that with this disease, redness of the eye proteins occurs, tears flow abundantly, and purulent discharge appears at night. A patient with conjunctivitis increases sensitivity to bright light. In severe cases, even visual impairment may occur.
Depending on the severity of the disease, the doctor may prescribe bed rest. Then the question of whether it is possible to walk with conjunctivitis will disappear by itself. Often the course of this disease is accompanied by a febrile state of the child, which, of course, eliminates the possibility of even going out.
At risk for this disease are children of any age, including newborns. An infant can become infected by the mother in the process of being born, passing through her birth canal. It is impossible to say exactly how much conjunctivitis is treated in a newborn, but with an uncomplicated course of the disease, therapy lasts an average of 5-7 days.
When you can’t walk with conjunctivitis
Older babies become infected by contacting the surface of the conjunctiva with pathogenic microorganisms that most often pass from unwashed hands or when using common household items. Playing in the sandbox, swimming in the river and other contacts with infected children can lead to the transmission of the pathogen from a sick child to a healthy one. If you doubt whether it is possible to walk with conjunctivitis, keep in mind that your baby will be at risk of contracting other children.
If the cause of conjunctival inflammation in a child is a respiratory viral infection, the disease will be accompanied by symptoms such as cough, runny nose, weakness. Of course, you can’t walk on the street with a cold child, especially in the cold season. If the baby feels fine, an hour in the fresh air will only benefit him.
Walking is not an obstacle to treatment
In cases where the disease does not cause significant discomfort, there is no need to limit the child to stay in the fresh air. Understand if you can walk with conjunctivitis, you can according to the symptoms. If the disease manifests itself in him only with moderate redness of the eyes, feel free to go outside. But still try to prevent contact with other children (with bacterial and viral forms). If the baby has conjunctivitis of an allergic etiology, while walking, avoid places of abundant growth of allergenic plants and the accumulation of pollen in the air.
Less bright light
By the way, according to the famous pediatrician O. E. Komarovsky, before you go to fresh air, count how many days conjunctivitis lasts for your child. If you have been struggling with the disease for more than two days, and no deterioration has occurred, discard all doubts: a walk will not harm the baby in any way. At the same time, the doctor advises to avoid bright sunlight - this is a direct irritant for an inflamed conjunctiva.
In what weather can a child walk with conjunctivitis
In addition, children's specialists give a number of other tips that will help make the trip more comfortable:
- It is advisable to walk with the baby during the day, while he sleeps soundly. In addition, the baby's eyes will be closed during sleep, which will protect him from the effects of various irritants. Is it possible to walk with conjunctivitis? The answer is obvious.
- With older children for a walk, it is advisable to go in the late afternoon. Until late, you should not be on the street, so as not to allow sore eyes to strain in the dark.
- Heat is an occasion to refrain from staying on the street. Due to the heat, the intensity of sweat that can get into the eyes increases. Sweat, as you know, contains salt, which when it comes into contact with the mucosa causes itching and burning. For this reason, the child reflexively begins to rub his eyes with unwashed hands.
- Walk is contraindicated in strong winds. In such weather, sand, dust, other foreign bodies can get into the eyes.
- The ideal place for a walk are parks, alleys, sparsely populated streets, squares.
Treatment of the bacterial form of the disease
Now we turn directly to the issue of combating childhood conjunctivitis. How to treat this disease in a child, only the attending physician can accurately say. The bacterial form of conjunctivitis is provoked, as a rule, by the same pathogens that cause lower respiratory tract diseases. So, the cause of bronchitis or pneumonia is most often staphylococcus, streptococcus, hemophilic bacillus. To help the body cope with these bacteria, doctors prescribe a child eye drops and ointments containing an antibiotic:
- "Albucid."
- Phloxal.
- Erythromycin ointment.
- Tetracycdine ointment.
- "Ciprofloxacin."
Prescribe an antibacterial drug of local or systemic action (in severe forms of conjunctivitis) should only be a specialist. If the medicine selected by the doctor does not have any effect, the antibiotic must be replaced.
Viral type of disease, therapy and drugs
Before treating conjunctivitis in a child, the doctor must verify the etiology of the disease. Therapy for the viral form of the pathology is fundamentally different from the above. In this case, the mandatory use of local antiviral drugs and immunomodulators based on interferon is required. The following eye drops and ointments with active antiviral components have the least contraindications for childhood:
- Zovirax.
- "Midday".
- Oxolinic ointment.
- "Tebrofen."
- "Acyclovir."
- "Trifluridine."
- Aktipol.
A child cannot attend kindergarten or school with viral conjunctivitis for the same reason as with a bacterial conjunctivitis - because of the likelihood of infection of other children.
It is important to pay special attention during the period of illness to the personal hygiene of the baby. Linen should be changed and washed regularly only at high temperatures. Boiling is the most reliable method of processing clothes, towels and personal belongings of a small patient.
How to deal with allergic conjunctivitis
As for conjunctivitis of an allergic form, here first of all it is necessary to eliminate the irritant. If you are not aware of the true factors causing this reaction, take a few simple recommendations. With conjunctivitis, they will be most welcome:
- Constantly monitor the diet of the child: he should be only hypoallergenic.
- It is imperative that there is no dust in the room. Every day, carry out wet cleaning in the room, away from carpets, soft toys, feather pillows and other “dust collectors”.
- Say no to chemistry! At least for the period of the baby’s illness, limit the use of aggressive detergents, dyes, fragrances, etc. in the house.
- Try to give your pets (if any) to relatives or friends for a while, because pet hair can cause allergies.
To eliminate the symptoms of conjunctivitis, the doctor will prescribe antihistamine eye drops. This is a new generation of drugs:
- "Allergodil."
- Lecrolin.
- "Olopatadine."
- Cromohexal.
How to wash the eyes of a child
Before using topical preparations, both eyes must be treated. There are a number of recommendations on how and how to rinse. When conjunctivitis, try to use products that have a temperature not lower than room temperature. To wash the eyes of a child, you can use:
- Furacilin solution. This is an inexpensive antiseptic and antimicrobial agent that quickly relieves inflammation. For babies, take 1 tablet and dissolve in a glass of warm water. Before use, the resulting yellowish liquid is filtered through a double layer of gauze.
- Weak manganese solution. The main symptom of a properly prepared medicine is its pale pink, almost transparent color. Make sure that no undissolved particles remain in the solution - they can cause burns to the mucous membrane and cornea of ​​the eye.
- Chamomile infusion. Preparing the tool as follows: in a glass of boiling water use 1 tsp. dry medicinal flowers. Before washing the child’s eyes, let the solution brew for 10-15 minutes. After this, strain the composition several times and proceed to treatment. This product is not recommended for babies under three years of age.
- Strong tea infusion. This is a means at hand, about the use of which in conjunctivitis everyone has heard. The maximum effect will help to achieve not freshly brewed, but yesterday's black or green tea. You can use teas without any aromatic and flavoring.
In case of acute infection, it is necessary to wash the eyes of the child every 2-3 hours during the day. Important: processing is carried out towards the conjunctiva (the inner corner of the eye). Make sure that the child does not tear off the dried crust from the eyelashes or eyelids. They are easily removed after soaking.