There is an opinion that barley under the eye is a "primordially" adult disease. However, it is not. In fact, barley in a child occurs no less often. We will talk about why he appears and how to treat him in this article.
Barley in the eye of a child is a consequence of a weakened immune system and means the possible presence of chronic diseases, for example, worms, diabetes mellitus and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Staphylococcus aureus is considered the most common cause of barley.
What is barley?
Barley in a child is an acute purulent inflammation of the sebaceous gland, which is located at the root of the eyelash, or directly in the hair sac of the eyelash. The nature of barley corresponds to the nature of acne on any part of the body, and when it reaches a certain size, it tends to break through.
How to recognize him?
The symptoms of barley are familiar to most of us. Initially, the edge of the eyelid begins to itch unpleasantly, then a swelling appears on the edge of the eyelid (a tubercle the size of a grain of barley), gradually increasing in size and reddening. This swelling is concentrated around the cilia of the child, as a result of which the palpebral fissure narrows and the eyelid swells. If barley in a child takes on a serious form, then the eye may not even open at all. In addition to the unpleasant sensations in it, the baby can be annoyed by a headache and nervous twitching of the eyelid.
By the way, barley can occur simultaneously in two eyes. In this case, the body temperature of the child may increase, which will entail complications of the disease. If there are no complications, then literally after 3-4 days a yellow dot will appear on the top of the swelling, from which, after opening the barley, pus will stand out. This is a turning point in the disease, after which the baby's well-being will improve significantly.
In no case should you squeeze an abscess yourself. After all, this can provoke serious complications, in particular, an abscess of the eyelid (purulent inflammation) and even purulent meningitis (inflammation of the meninges).
Barley in a child can even be prevented by knowing the causes of its occurrence. Many people forget that the root cause of this disease is the failure to observe basic rules of personal hygiene, simply put, getting dirt in the eyes.
Since most children are sensitive to barley, ordinary tears in the street can become the cause of its occurrence. Therefore, if you know about such a problem, check the level of hemoglobin in the baby’s blood, as well as the level of leukocytes, because this can be a signal of a weakened immunity of the child’s body.
Genetic tendency, lack of vitamins and even the systematic effect of dust on the baby’s eyes can also cause barley. And if the disease could not be avoided, you need to know how to treat barley in a child. This will be discussed further.
Treating barley in a child
As soon as the first symptoms of the disease are detected, you must immediately begin to treat it. If the baby constantly rubs his eyes - this should alert parents, call for further action.
The fact that it is impossible to squeeze it out, because it is still not a pimple, we have already said above. It must also be clarified that it is not recommended to wet it, as this can provoke the spread of inflammation to the rest of the eyelid.
Initially, you need to seek help from an ophthalmologist who will tell you the optimal ointment and prescribe the appropriate treatment for the baby. If barley in a child appears often, then he should strengthen his immunity with the help of medications.
There are also many well-known folk methods of treating barley, which our beloved grandmothers will gladly tell about. However, I want to note that it’s not worth zealous in self-medication, it’s better to use the advice of qualified doctors. After all, improper treatment and, moreover, an incorrectly diagnosed diagnosis can cause serious complications that only surgical intervention will solve.
And finally, I want to say that it is better not to treat barley in a child, but to prevent it. Do not forget that the best prevention of the disease is the regular implementation of personal hygiene rules. Observe them yourself and teach your own child.