A newborn baby is a huge joy and a lot of worries and worries. The child’s body only learns to function autonomously, during which various problems and developmental defects often manifest. Most often, at this tender age, they can be corrected. The main thing is to pay attention to it in time and consult a doctor. Today we’ll talk about a diagnosis such as obstruction of the lacrimal canal in newborns.
What are tears for?
At first glance, what's so bad about this if there are no tears? But in reality, tears perform a number of very important functions. Before the birth of the baby is in the liquid. And after childbirth, all its mucous membranes and skin are rebuilt to a new life. Tears from this moment will moisten the eyeball, moisturize it and nourish with useful and necessary substances. To do this, they exit the eye through the tear ducts.
They open only after birth. During the period of intrauterine development, these pathways remain closed with a gelatinous film. After childbirth, it is torn, but in some cases this does not happen. Then they talk about obstruction of the lacrimal canal in newborns. It happens that older children, as well as adults, are subject to this pathology.
Development reasons
This applies to those cases when at the time of birth there were no problems with the outflow of tears, that is, the ducts functioned normally. In the process of life, they can become clogged or inflamed, which leads to impaired hydration of the eyeball and a number of related problems. But in this case, the disease does not occur on its own, but can be caused by various reasons:
- conjunctivitis;
- lingering rhinitis;
- tumors;
- mechanical injuries.
But today we’ll talk about the obstruction of the lacrimal canal in newborns. What it is, what caused it, and, most importantly, what to do about it.
What you need to pay attention to
At the time of birth, the gelatinous film should rupture and open the lacrimal duct. If this does not happen, and the canal remains closed, then the released fluid will accumulate in the lacrimal sac. The result is stagnation. Obstruction of the lacrimal canal in newborns is usually diagnosed in the postpartum department.
First of all, doctors pay attention to the fact that the eyes are constantly watery. A humid environment is extremely favorable for the reproduction of bacteria. As a result, an inflammatory process develops. When infected, the eyes begin to "sour", this is especially noticeable in the morning. In the corners of the eyes, pus accumulates, that is, yellow discharge.
Self diagnosis
It is not necessary to wait for the arrival of a doctor, you yourself can find signs of obstruction of the lacrimal canal in a newborn. You need to wash your hands and gently press on the area of ​​the lacrimal sac in the outer corners of the eyes. With pathology during pressure, you will see a discharge of fluid, possibly with an admixture of pus. In this case, further manipulations must be accompanied by consultation with a pediatrician. By self-medication, you can cause significant harm to the baby's body. The organs of vision are fragile, and they must be handled very carefully.
Symptoms
Komarovsky calls the obstruction of the lacrimal canal in newborns one of the most easily treatable (with proper therapy) pathologies. Most importantly, prevent infection. Therefore, carefully monitor the baby and pay attention to any deviations. In addition to watery eyes, the following symptoms may occur:
- Repeated inflammations and infections. Please note, infections can be caused by blockage or lead to this. Only a doctor can determine the cause and prescribe competent therapy.
- The accumulation or secretion of mucus.
- Pain or swelling in the corners of the eyes.
- Bloody tears.
Any of these signs requires immediate consultation with a competent doctor.
Possible complications
The earlier a disease is diagnosed and treatment is prescribed, the less likely they are to develop. Therefore, in the first months of life, a pediatrician consultation is required for any, even the most insignificant deviation. Symptoms of obstruction of the lacrimal canal in newborns can be blurred, so only a competent specialist can determine the cause of what is happening.
Usually in this case, the pediatrician gives a referral to an ophthalmologist. The fact is that narrowing of the lacrimal canal without treatment leads to complications. It often happens that the first visit to an ophthalmologist occurs several months or even years after the onset of the disease. In this case, treatment will be prescribed, but it will not be possible to restore the function of the lacrimal sac.
The more time passes from the moment the disease develops, the more severely its tissues suffer. If the obstruction of the lacrimal canal in infants normally passes without a trace, then with a delay in the therapeutic effect, the lacrimal sac loses its natural elasticity and becomes flabby. To prevent this, you need to see a doctor at the first sign of a violation.
Treatment methods
What to do with obstruction of the lacrimal canal in newborns should be decided only by the attending physician. Doctors are arguing about this today. Some ophthalmologists believe that decisive measures should be taken immediately after this disease is diagnosed. Others say that this applies only to the age category of two months or older. There is a possibility that the septum, which did not burst at the time of birth, will resolve in the near future. Therefore, you can wait periodically visiting an ophthalmologist to prevent the development of infection.
Third experts believe that each case is unique, so you need to act focusing directly on the patient, his condition. That is, in some cases, prescribe treatment, and in others just maintain maintenance therapy and observation. In any case, how to treat the obstruction of the lacrimal canal in newborns should be decided only by the pediatrician or together with an ophthalmologist. There are a lot of treatment methods today. They are divided into conservative and radical.
Assistive therapy
After the doctor has examined the patient, he can prescribe a West test to make an accurate diagnosis. If it is not in doubt, then it is recommended to start performing a massage. With obstruction of the lacrimal canal in newborns, it performs the same function as passing through the birth canal. That is, it creates tension at which the film breaks on its own.
It is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. First of all, you need to take care of clean hands. To do this, it is recommended to wear sterile gloves or use an antiseptic agent for treating hands. Medicines prescribed by the doctor are also used. And after 2 minutes you can begin to massage.
With one hand you need to hold the child’s head, and with the other hand, press. Please note that you can not press on the eyeball. Only lacrimal point massage is performed. For this, the movements should be light, jerky, from the outer edge of the eye to the inside. After this, you must definitely wipe with a cotton pad dipped in a decoction of chamomile or calendula.
Preparing the child for each procedure
Usually, kids are not enthusiastic about the fact that similar manipulations are performed with them. Therefore, it is recommended to swaddle the crumb tightly. So you will do everything faster and easier. Prepare cotton pads and a fresh decoction of calendula or chamomile. The broth should be slightly warm so as not to irritate the baby's delicate skin. If there is an allergy, then it is better to use furatsilin. For each eye, it is important to use your cotton pad. Wipe with a quick movement, removing mucus and pus, then massage and drip drops. In each case, the sequence of actions, the set of drugs and herbs, as well as the concentration of solutions are regulated by the doctor.
Baby reaction
He will not experience any unpleasant sensations if you do everything correctly. But most children begin to cry, turn away, because they do not understand what is happening. Therefore, you need to talk with the child, stroke him. It is best to massage before feeding, so the baby will calm down faster. The duration will be determined by the attending physician. The number of sessions can reach up to 10 per day. Often the course lasts up to several weeks, and sometimes months.
Sounding
If the process is heavily launched, more drastic measures may be required. Treatment of obstruction of the lacrimal canal in newborns rarely requires surgical intervention. Even with a chronic form, probing of the lacrimal canal is usually sufficient.
This is a quick and fairly safe procedure. It is performed under local anesthesia, so it does not cause pain. Of course, parents can be near their baby. The doctor introduces a special probe into the canal, due to which the latter expands. Then the film breaks through, and the outflow of tears is normalized.
Prescribing
In parallel with the massage, doctors prescribe drops. With obstruction of the lacrimal canal in newborns, they are used to prevent the infection from joining. In this case, the choice should be made on the basis of microbiological research. Usually these are eye drops that need to be instilled several times a day.
The following drugs have good antibacterial activity: Vigamox, Tobrex, Levomycetin. Oftatwix and Gentamicin are also used. Dosage for babies is not more than 0.3%. But the use of "Albucidum" is undesirable for babies for two reasons. First of all, it causes burning, and also crystallization is characteristic of it, that is, precipitation. This can aggravate the obstruction of the canal. The doctor may prescribe several drugs, then they will need to be instilled in turn, with an interval of 20 minutes.
Alternative methods of treatment
They can be quite effective. No wonder for many centuries people trusted the experience of herbalists. But it must be borne in mind that all treatment methods must be agreed with the doctor. Often, mothers begin to independently wash their eyes with herbs, which leads to the development of complications. Washing and using eye drops can temporarily reduce the manifestation of the disease, but is not able to cure completely. After a while, the symptoms will appear again.
The use of compresses based on chamomile, mint and dill gives good results. You can make lotions from tea bags. They must first be immersed in warm water, and then slightly blotted and applied to the eye. You can also use lotions or drops from Kalanchoe juice.
Instead of a conclusion
Obstruction of the lacrimal canal in newborns is not uncommon. But there is no need to panic when making such a diagnosis. It is required to seek advice from a pediatrician and an ophthalmologist in a timely manner and follow their recommendations. If you do not start the course of the disease and prevent infection, then treatment will not take much time.