The baby's eye is infected, what should I do? What to do if your baby's eyes are festering

Appearance in the family small child brings to the house not only great happiness, but also a lot of worries. First of all, they are related to the health of the newborn baby. One of the most vulnerable organs in a baby is the eyes. Even an insignificant bacterium can provoke the appearance of a particular disease.

Many young mothers panic when they see an accumulation of pus in the corners of the baby’s eyes. The sticky yellow substance dries quickly, forming a dense crust on the eyelids. In this case, you should not self-medicate; it is better to immediately contact an ophthalmologist.

The main thing that parents should do before visiting a doctor is to relieve the little one from discomfort and prevent the spread of infection.

A little man comes into our world unprotected; most of his systems do not work fully or are not fully developed at all. This also applies to the eyes. The nasal cavity is responsible for removing dust and other contaminants from the surface of the mucous membrane. tear duct, and it is formed in the baby only at the fortieth week of pregnancy.

In addition, the tear fluid of a newborn lacks lysozyme, which is responsible for local immunity. Its production in the body begins only a few weeks after the baby is born.

Until this time, his eyes will react sharply to any irritant. Such features child's body may cause infectious disease, leading to the formation of pus and inflammation.

The main causes of sour eyes are:

Baby's adaptation to environment. After all, he was born from a sterile mother’s womb, and now the baby will have to learn to fight many viruses and bacteria;
Albucid is often instilled into babies in the maternity hospital to avoid infection of the mucous membrane. The appearance of pus in the corners of the eyes may be a manifestation of a reaction to the drug;
Suppuration causes serious illnesses, such as conjunctivitis, dacryocystitis and blenorrhea. Their untimely treatment leads to serious problems with vision.

Conjunctivitis: causes and types

This disease refers to inflammation of the thinnest connective membrane covering the surface of the eyes and the mucous membrane of the eyelids. Conjunctivitis is the most common cause of pus in children. The disease is caused by microbes and various allergens.

The main symptoms of the disease: redness and tearing of the eyes, the appearance of pus. The disease can be caused by:

Bright lighting;
ARVI;
Dry indoor air;
Rubbing eyes with hands;
Washing with non-sterile water.

There are four types of conjunctivitis, depending on what “pest” caused the disease:

Viral manifests itself against the background of a cold or under the influence of a viral infection. The baby develops swelling of the eyelids, redness, and a film forms on the eyelashes. Often the disease is accompanied by mucous discharge, the baby scratches his eyes because he experiences unbearable itching;
Bacterial— it is caused by gonococci, staphylococci and pneumococci. Pus accumulates in the corners, as a result, the eyelashes stick together and it is difficult for the baby to open his eyes, especially after sleep;
Purulent appears under the influence of gram-negative microorganisms (intestinal or Pseudomonas aeruginosa, etc.). The first sign of the disease is purulent discharge;
Chlamydial Conjunctivitis appears in the first days after the baby is born. The disease occurs in acute form and is accompanied by mucous discharge and the formation of a cloudy film on the eyes;
Allergic- in this case there is no pus or other discharge. The eyeballs turn red, swelling of the eyelids and unbearable itching appear, so the baby constantly rubs his eyes.

Conjunctivitis is often accompanied by decreased appetite and increased temperature.

Dacryocystitis

This disease is less common and is caused by the formation of a plug in the tear duct. Inflammation can lead to:

After the birth of a child, particles of the lubricant in which he was born remained inside the tear duct. They dry out and an impenetrable plug forms;
Various pathologies that cause sticking of the walls of the nasolacrimal duct. As a result, the outflow of tear fluid stops.

The main manifestations of the disease are increased lacrimation and redness of the eyes. When you press on the tear duct, it comes out purulent fluid. Swelling of the eyelids is often observed, and they may acquire a blue tint. If you can quickly get rid of conjunctivitis with proper treatment, then with dacryocystitis the eyes will fester until the patency of the canal is restored.

We treat blennorrhea

Blennorea is a severe infectious disease accompanied by increased secretion of pus. The causative agent of the disease is gonococci, the disease affects the fragile organism in the womb, during childbirth.

It can also cause the disease improper care and failure to comply with basic hygiene rules. Initially, blenorrhea can be confused with conjunctivitis, but after some time, characteristic signs appear:

The eyelids become swollen and red;
Yellow or white pus begins to discharge abundantly from the eyes;
Follicles form on the eyelids and folds appear;
The eyelids become very dense, sometimes the baby cannot even open his eyes.

Usually, blenorrhea affects one eye, but quickly spreads to the second. Treatment of the disease requires serious antibacterial therapy. If you delay a visit to the doctor, your baby may end up with scars or develop corneal pathology.

Treatment

Hygiene procedures

If a newborn baby’s eye is festered and red, immediately provide him with help so that as soon as possible get rid of the disease. Special attention should be paid to hygiene procedures:

Rinse the mucous membrane;
Using a cotton swab, remove crusts and pus;
Rub your eyes with a chamomile or calendula infusion.

How to treat eyes with allergies?

In young children allergic reaction may occur on breast milk or ready mixture, which is sold in pharmacies. If the baby is on artificial feeding, just change the manufacturer and try a different mixture.

When infant refuses mother's milk and at the same time his eyes begin to fester, most likely the problem lies in the mother's diet. You should carefully study your menu, find a possible allergen and eliminate it from your diet.

How to treat conjunctivitis

If the eye of a newborn baby festers, immediately consult a doctor, only he can prescribe correct therapy. Most often, eye drops are used for treatment, and antihistamines are prescribed.

To get rid of bacterial conjunctivitis, it is recommended to wash your eyes with an antiseptic and instill them with antibiotic-based drops at night. Additionally, a course of injections or medications may be prescribed.

As the first medical care You can wipe a stuck eye with a cotton swab dipped in chamomile solution (1-1.5 tbsp. pharmaceutical chamomile per 200 ml of boiling water) or in strong tea. This will soften the crust and remove pus and mucus from the eyelids.

We fight dacryocystitis

The most effective method Massage is considered a cure for illness. A specialist will advise you on the technique. Additionally, the doctor may prescribe eye drops and antibiotics.

Massage of the tear duct

The procedure is not complicated, but it is responsible. Since everything in newborn babies is very small and fragile, any awkward movement can cause damage to the canal or the eye. The essence of the massage is to influence the tear duct in order to provoke the release of the plug and restore its patency. Perform the procedure in the following sequence:

In the corners of the eyes, find a small tubercle, this is the lacrimal sac;
Place your index finger on the tubercle towards the inner corner of the eye;
Using pushing movements, press it with your fingertips;
After completing the massage, rinse your eyes with chamomile infusion or furatsilin solution.

A maximum of fifteen thrusts can be performed at a time. If there is increased discharge of pus, use sterile tampons for massage. For the first time, it is advisable to carry out the procedure under the supervision of a specialist.

Traditional methods of treatment

Having noticed that a baby’s eye is festering, the question arises, how to treat the disease? Let us immediately note that visiting a doctor is mandatory if you suspect an infection; self-medication can only worsen the baby’s condition. But as first aid, you can use the following folk methods:

Treat the festering eye with chamomile infusion. Soak a cotton swab in the liquid and wipe the mucous membrane. If your baby is sleeping, place used chamomile tea bags on his eyelids. This will help relieve inflammation and remove pus;
Wash your eyes with tea solution four times a day;
As eye drops use a decoction of plantain leaves. They must first be doused with boiling water.

All parents want their baby to never get sick. For this they are ready to make any sacrifice. However, achieving this in practice turns out to be much more difficult than we would like. Diseases and infections watch over children everywhere. Therefore, it is very important to constantly monitor compliance with hygiene standards and the prevention of infectious diseases.

Doctors and nurses talk about the principles of caring for the eyes of a newborn baby, that is, how many times a day and what to wash them with, even in the maternity hospital. But even with correct observance With all the standards of hygiene and prevention of eye pathologies, the possibility of eye disease cannot be completely excluded.

The immune system of the newborn and infant is still too weak, so infections easily penetrate his body. Often, infants' eyes begin to fester, and they become inflamed and red.

Causes of suppuration of the eyes in infants

Diseases such as conjunctivitis and dacryocystitis can cause redness, inflammation and suppuration of the organs of vision in infants. The first of these is inflammatory lesion mucous membrane of the eye. Its causative agents are viruses. Conjunctivitis often accompanies acute respiratory diseases, influenza and other diseases caused by viral infection. Dacryocystitis affects newborn infants. The disease is associated with the presence of obstruction of the lacrimal duct, resulting in a focus of inflammation in the lacrimal sac and subsequent suppuration.

More often than not, suppuration in the eyes is associated with conjunctivitis. At the same time, the appearance of inflammatory processes in the maternity hospital itself indicates that the baby is infected from the mother during the birth process. If the first signs of the disease appear a few days after birth, then most likely the child came into contact with carriers of the infection or was simply cared for improperly.

Dacryocystitis is a disease that occurs due to the formation of a special plug in the lacrimal canal, similar in consistency to gelatin. The appearance of this plug is due to the fact that during childbirth, the baby’s entire body is covered with primordial mucus, which also gets into the eyes. Usually, when the newborn begins to breathe and first moves, the mucus disappears by itself, but it also happens that its elements remain in the tear ducts. The mucus that gets into the canal clogs it, and the tear fluid cannot pass through and reach the surface of the eye. As a result, the baby’s organ of vision loses its natural protection against microorganisms and viruses. This is where the redness, inflammation and suppuration of the baby’s eye comes from.

What to do when a baby’s eye festers?

At the first sign inflammatory process or suppuration of the eyes in newborns, you should immediately consult a doctor, since only a competent specialist will be able to determine the cause and prescribe the correct and complete treatment.

To treat conjunctivitis in children, rinsing the eyes with a solution of potassium permanganate or furatsilin, as well as chamomile decoction, is usually used. In some cases, the doctor may prescribe additional drops with a disinfecting or soothing effect.

In severe cases of the disease or advanced cases The use of antibiotic solutions or special antibacterial ointment may be required. It must be remembered that you cannot self-medicate a newborn baby, this can lead to sad consequences. All medicines and other medications used to treat infants should be discussed with your doctor.

If one eye of a baby is festering, then during treatment you will still have to wash both of them, because the infection easily and quickly passes from one eye to the other.

If a baby is diagnosed with “dacryocystitis”, then in most cases this includes home treatment, which includes the following activities:

One of the parents will need to regularly massage the baby's tear duct. Correct technique the attending physician will be able to teach;

Washing the eye by special means from infection;

If home treatment does not have the desired effect, it is necessary to flush the canal in a hospital setting.

The disease rarely lasts more than two weeks with proper treatment. If home treatment does not help, then you need to visit an ophthalmologist with your child. He will clean the tear duct with a probe and then rinse it with an antibiotic. This procedure does not deliver pain and doesn't take away large quantity time, most often, repeated rinsing is not required.

Question:
My little niece (she is only 8 days old) has a festering left eye, so much so that sometimes it doesn’t even open. Mom washes it with her milk, and before each feeding we instill breast milk. But it doesn't help much. Tell me, maybe someone had such a problem?!
Lelya Lelishna

Have you tried washing it with furatsilin? Furacilin helps a lot. You can drip Albucid or Levomycin.
UTAH

Nothing helps, neither furatsilin nor albucid. Today we visited the ophthalmologist and was told to take chloramphenicol every hour. This is conjunctivitis.
Lelya Lelishna

You don't have conjunctivitis. This is an obstruction of the tear duct. The fact is that at birth, mucus should come out of the tear ducts - natural process. but this does not always happen. We had this problem from birth until 2 months. we were sent to the hospital for probing under anesthesia. But we were very lucky because they helped us heal on our own. To do this, you need to drip chloramphenicol and do a massage. Be sure to wash the eye with tea or furacelin. The ENT doctor from Young Pioneers advised us to buy gel with silver and esobel. This is what helped us. Wash your nose and eyes with Esobel, and treat the eyes with gel. At the same time, be sure to do the massage CORRECTLY. Imagine a dial, place your finger in the corner of your eye and, starting from the number 9 to 12 to 3, move with light pressure and end the movement at number 3 with downward pressure. That is, push the mucus down into the nose, and not towards the eye. Patience and persistence will help. The main thing is to understand that anesthesia is very harmful for a child, and probing is done under general anesthesia.
Lenchik

No, that's not the point. This is still conjunctivitis and staphylococcus. Treated with Vitabact drops. Everything is fine now.
Lelya Lelishna

Tobrex gives improvement on the second or third day.
Trisha

Question:
Hello, my baby (1 month old) has had a festering eye since birth, the ophthalmologist said - obstruction of the lacrimal canal. Wipe with tea and chamomile infusion and drip albucid... if that doesn’t help, they will rinse the canals. Can you recommend any other remedies?
Oksana

Dear Oksana. We agree with your eye doctor. He knows your baby better, follow his advice. We wish speedy recovery baby :-)))
First Doctor

Question:
The doll's eye is festering (conjunctivitis). The pediatrician prescribed antibiotic drops, we take them for a week. It doesn't help yet. Please advise.
Dew

If I were you, I wouldn’t wait, and if after a week there are no signs of improvement, I would tell the doctor. It may turn out that you are treating the wrong thing.
Alessia

The minimum is to wash your eyes with tea. If drops do not help, be sure to consult a doctor. Sometimes there are eye infections much more serious than conjunctivitis.
Svetlana Konev

Don't worry, if it's dacryocystitis (inflammation of the lacrimal sac), then the infection will occur regularly because the tear does not wash the eye and does not leak into the eye. nasal cavity. Drops that do not help need to be changed and washed with 9% saline solution (it is sold in pharmacies without a prescription). Under no circumstances should you drip breast milk. Check with your doctor for a diagnosis. Is the child shedding a tear or not? If conjunctivitis is a consequence of dacryocystitis, then he needs regular massage. Get well!
Tashtach

This is a common thing, don't be too scared. It happened to us too, we just wiped it with a damp cotton swab, didn’t drip anything, it went away on its own. It happened a couple more times, but it went away on its own.
dmiant

This is a very important idea! The baby could have been born with closed tear ducts.
I had the same thing with my daughter: she was crying - there were no tears, her eyes were inflamed, swollen, there was a little pus. Then they also prescribed antibiotic drops for her, but they did no good, because the reason is see above. And then absolutely everyone missed it: the pediatrician in the maternity hospital, the visiting nurses, everyone! As a result, at 3 weeks of age, we went to the ophthalmologist, she pierced and washed out her tear ducts. So much “dirt” came out through the spout! Hurry to check this version so that the infection does not spread through the channels to the brain. I'm not scaring, I'm just warning. Good luck and stay healthy!
Optimistka

First, it is necessary to clarify the diagnosis. For, if this is a banal conjunctivitis, then no antibiotics are needed here. Rinse with freshly brewed tea several times a day and instill albucid. But the diagnosis must be clarified! I repeat. Because if this adenovirus infection- the treatment is completely different ( antiviral ointment or droplets). And therefore, neither antibiotics nor albucid will give success, and may even cause harm.
spoil

We had it too. And for a very long time. Just chamomile, black teas and breast milk did not help at all. And these antibiotics, which come in tubes, helped. I myself was very against such a disgusting thing for such a kid... But in the end it was they who helped, although more than a week passed. This is really common and not so scary.
Aix

As for milk - who cares. Our eyes are even more watery, and we are no longer experimenting.
OlgaSF

From birth, the eye festered, it passed a little, and then again again. And massage of the lacrimal glands and drops of antibiotics helped - rinsing with furatsilin and dripping with chloramphenicol. But always after massage and rinsing the tear duct.
Fenek

Question:
While still in the maternity hospital, the child’s eye began to turn sour. There they put tetracycline ointment behind the eyelid (3 times), they said that was enough. At home, the eye continues to turn sour, and it also waters. The local pediatrician told me to wait a little and see an ophthalmologist. Is it necessary to take the child to an ophthalmologist or can this issue be resolved at home? Grandmothers advise washing the eye with breast milk, but is it possible to do this?
Marina

Our eyes have also become sour since the maternity hospital. Dripped "Sofradex". It helped, but not for long. At 1.5 months she showed it to an ophthalmologist, it turned out there was obstruction of the lacrimal canal. They did bougienage. And immediately everything went away. The procedure is quick. I can’t judge how painful it is, because... I was asked to leave the office, well, the baby cried a little, of course, but all the problems went away. Still, I advise you to see a specialist. IMHO than smaller child, the easier it will endure all manipulations of this kind.
Jitel

It's not worth it, believe me. Listen less to grandmothers. Milk, even though it comes from the mother’s breast, contains many bacteria - not intended for the eyes... You can wipe the eye with a solution of furatsilin. It is absolutely harmless. And of course, find time to go to the doctor
Matthiola

Our eye has been festering since the maternity hospital, it hasn’t gone away for a month, despite treatment: chloramphenicol, sodium sulfacyl, gintamicin ointment - none of this helped (prescribed by our pediatrician). And then we went to the ophthalmologist, and she said to rinse with infusion of string + chamomile + tricolor violet in equal proportions and before each feeding, massage the tear duct, the eye completely went away in a week and so far everything is fine.
Bastila

We had something similar at one time (also about a week after birth). At first, tears just collected, then pus began to collect in the corner, especially after sleep - the eye stuck together. I wiped it with brewed chamomile and calendula. I tried to drop Albucit on myself first - the feeling was terrible - I didn’t try it on a child. And you don’t need to prescribe anything yourself (without a doctor’s prescription). You can check - if the tear duct is blocked (we had this), then when you press near the inner corner of the eye, pus will be released. For us, it took about 1.5 months.
Shelen

As for the procedures: Turn the child’s head to one side and rinse from the edge to the center (pick it up and pour it into the eye) with water and calendula tincture (2 flowers per 50 ml of boiling water) or “Protargol 2%” diluted in 10 parts of water and rinse or Furacilin solution (namely a solution, because if you make it yourself from tablets, then undissolved particles may remain there, but this is absolutely impossible). Soak with a cotton pad. Then we bury it. Apply eye drops to the outer corner of the eye. drip better in drops, do not smear with anything, we dripped “Okulakhel” Heel, but it is slow-acting, we switched to “Levomycetin”, but we need to buy a new one every 3 days, it is no longer suitable.
All this helped us, but only for a while, as it turned out later it was just congenital obstruction channels. I had to punch through. I have no regrets, although the procedure is not for the faint of heart, but we left the office completely healthy ttt. And before that, a month was washed 6 times a day, dripped, wiped, massages ((((((((it was also tortured by the child. Some say that it may pass, yes, maybe, but it may not pass and the cornea is clouded ( ((so if this procedure is prescribed, don’t risk it, don’t wait, go straight away. The doctor who performed this procedure told us that it is ideal for a child to do it in the first 4 weeks.
fleur-de-lis

In any case, it’s not scary and there’s no need to pierce the tear duct before 4 months. I am not a doctor, but I was consulted by a very good occulist. Therefore, try a massage first. Prerequisites- 10 days and 10 movements (no more, because the lacrimal sac is stretching and it will get even worse). 1. Lubricate your finger (it was convenient for me to do this with a middle finger) with baby oil (cream) so that it glides easily over the skin. 2. Press your finger where the eyebrow begins (inner edge) 3. Run your finger quite firmly along the nose (sort of along the side wall of the nose) approximately to the inner corner of the eye. Of course, I won’t explain the force with which you need to press, you should feel it yourself so that the child doesn’t get hurt, but if you barely touch it, it won’t do any good either. And so on for 10 days, 10 times. It helped us.
After all these procedures, it was even worse for several weeks; apparently the lacrimal sac had opened and all this pus was coming out. And only then everything passed.
Siu

Tell me please! Our eyes began to turn sour. I read on the forum about rubbing it with chamomile. The doctor strictly forbade it, as it could be an allergy. But chamomile is an antiseptic! I don't understand anything. He prescribed chloramphenicol drops, every 1.5 hours on the first day; in the second - 2 hours, and in the third - 3 hours. The instructions for chloramphenicol say 1 drop 3 times a day. How can this be? The child is only 3 months old.
Lena78

Lena78, you were prescribed treatment for advanced conjunctivitis. Have you tried rinsing it with tea? Levomycetin is an antibiotic. I treated Fima at 7 months with albucid and chloramphenicol - dripping according to a similar intensive regimen. In fact, our scheme was even more intense. But the boy had terrible conjunctivitis; his eyes became swollen and completely swollen within a few hours. Do you need chloramphenicol in your case if the eye is just sour - I seriously doubt it. As an alternative, maybe you should consult another doctor?
Olya

Purulent discharge from the eyes in newborns is a fairly common occurrence. This is most often caused by two main diseases: conjunctivitis and dacryocystitis. Let's consider both options.

Dacryocystitis: causes

Under such a complex name lies a disease that often affects the baby’s eyes. Its symptoms are very easily eliminated if you come to the baby’s aid in time. With dacryocystitis, purulent discharge affects one eye of the child and is caused by underdevelopment of the lacrimal canal. Speaking in simple language, dacryocystitis is an inflammation of the lacrimal sac in a child.

The essence of the disease is as follows. Everyone knows that a tear washes itself eyeball, thereby protecting it from drying out and the action of viruses and bacteria various types. Tears also protect the surface of the eye from small particles of dust and dirt. Tears are produced in the lacrimal gland and when you blink, they wash the eyeball, then accumulating in the inner corner of the eye. There are two lacrimal openings: on the upper and lower eyelids– they are very easy to distinguish even with the naked eye, by moving the edge of the child’s eyelid. It is through these points that tears enter the nasolacrimal duct and the nasal cavity (which is why when crying it always seems like a runny nose is starting). If the lacrimal canal works without disturbances, then its patency is quite high, but if some reasons prevent the release of tears, then they accumulate and overflow over the edge of the baby’s eyelid. In this case, at first, profuse lacrimation may be observed, then the bactericidal function is disrupted, the child’s eye becomes inflamed, turns red, and purulent discharge appears.

What causes clogged tear ducts in infants? Most often, the cause of this phenomenon is the formation of a “gelatinous plug”. There are other causes of obstruction in the lacrimal gland, but they are much less common.

Dacryocystitis is a fairly common disease and affects approximately 5% of newborns. The gelatinous film is formed from embryonic cells and baby mucus. From the moment of birth, when the child begins to do his first breathing movements and screams, this film bursts and the plug is pushed out, clearing the tear duct. But it happens that the channel does not break through on its own and inflammation forms. This pathology can occur both from the first days of a child’s birth, and a little later - towards the end of the first month. At first, the baby’s eye becomes inflamed and red, this is especially visible in bright light, and after a few days purulent discharge appears. It happens that in the morning the mother observes a very unpleasant picture: purulent crusts have blinded the baby’s eyelids so that he cannot open his eyes.

Dacryocystitis: treatment

For this disease, the doctor will first prescribe conservative treatment. If it does not have an effect, you will need to rinse the eye in the hospital.

Conservative treatment includes washing the baby's eyes, performing a massage and instilling antimicrobial drops. You can wash your eyes with furatsilin solution, chamomile or tea leaves. To do this, use a cotton swab dipped in the solution. When cleaning the eye, movements are performed from its outer corner to the inner one. For antimicrobial action use drops of Albucid, Collargol 2%, Vitobact, or an antibiotic (chloramphenicol, penicillin). You should not self-medicate and drop, for example, breast milk into the eye, because by doing this you create an even more favorable environment for the proliferation of microbes.

After each feeding of the baby, the mother also massages the lacrimal sac. This is perhaps the most important remedy in the treatment of dacryocystitis. The lacrimal sac is located in the inner corner palpebral fissure. Press on this place and make light up and down movements. Due to this massage, the embryonic film breaks through and the purulent discharge from the child’s eyes begins to become stronger. This indicates your correct actions.

Conservative treatment is more effective the more younger child, and after six months it no longer makes sense. Treatment must be carried out with massage, otherwise the problem may recur, since washing the eye and instilling antimicrobial drops does not clear the tear duct, and inflammation is caused again.

If conservative treatment does not help, the lacrimal canal is washed. In this case, the child is given local anesthesia with special eye drops, and then the ophthalmologist uses a special probe to clean the canal. Antibiotic therapy for the eye is carried out for several days after this. Also, after probing, it is necessary to massage for some time, which is carried out to prevent relapse associated with the formation of adhesions.

Do not delay the treatment of dacryocystitis, otherwise after 6 months the gelatinous plug will transform into connective tissue, and this can already lead to surgical intervention on the eye.

And also remember - treatment of dacryocystitis should not be delayed - after all, the pus is located in the area of your baby’s brain.

Conjunctivitis: causes

But this disease is no longer so simple, because it is caused by viruses and bacteria. There are several types of conjunctivitis. Purulent discharge from the eyes in a child usually indicates bacterial conjunctivitis, the treatment of which is carried out with medication. Herpetic, staphylococcal, pneumococcal, gonococcal or diphtheria conjunctivitis may also develop. You yourself accurate diagnosis you cannot make a diagnosis, and therefore you need to consult a specialist who will establish an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the correct treatment.

Conjunctivitis: treatment

Treatment of conjunctivitis also depends on its type. Most often, a specialist prescribes eye ointments or drops, and also recommends rinsing the child's eyes every three hours. The only thing we can advise is to carefully read the instructions for them before using the prescribed products. And most importantly: place your baby in the hands of a competent specialist whom you trust.

Useful video

The baby's eyes are very vulnerable, the lacrimal glands cannot work full force. Many parents notice that the newborn's eyes begin to turn red and fester. Usually, problems with them appear in a child in the first months of life. So, what to do if a newborn’s eyes are festering?

How does the disease manifest in a child?

The structure of a baby's eyes is similar to that of an adult. But their functions have not been improved, especially with regard to defensive reactions. You can see the problem with your eyes especially clearly in the morning. The baby's eyelids are glued together with a yellow crust, so the child cannot open them. In this case, they say that his eyes are festering.

Tears protect your eyes from drying out and also help fight bacteria and viruses. The eyeball is washed with it every time you blink. After this, remnants of tears remain in the inner corner, which from there enter the nasal cavity. When a baby is born, a gelatinous plug clogs the tear duct. Then within the first weeks it breaks through. Regarding purulent discharge, then they happen of various nature. Therefore, doctors prohibit self-medication. In addition, you first need to find out the cause of the disease.

Causes of eye suppuration

There are two main reasons why a newborn’s eyes fester:

Conjunctivitis – inflammatory disease mucous membranes of the eyeball. It can be infectious (when infected) and viral, accompanying influenza, acute respiratory infections and acute respiratory viral infections.
Dacryocystitis is a disease associated with obstruction of the lacrimal canal with its subsequent suppuration.

If the eye of a newborn festeres in the maternity hospital, then he became infected with conjunctivitis during childbirth from the mother. If the disease occurs later, this indicates the baby’s contact with a sick person or insufficient care for him.

Dacryocystitis occurs when a “gelatinous” plug forms. Most often, with the first breath, the mucus comes out on its own. However, in some cases the tear cannot wash the eyeball naturally. In this case, the eye is not protected from infections and redness begins, followed by purulent discharge.

Treatment of eyes in infants

At the first signs of eye disease in a baby, it is recommended to immediately consult a specialist, since the appearance of pus may indicate some kind of pathology. The ophthalmologist will prescribe for the child necessary treatment(ointments, drops, etc.). Experts also recommend washing your eyes with a solution of furatsilin, chamomile or tea, but only in consultation with your doctor. This process stimulates the opening of the ducts.

It is necessary to rinse the eye with a light massage of the canal. The flow is located at the inner corner from the bottom of the eyelid. You need to touch it very carefully, moving towards the nose. Manipulations are performed five to seven times a day. The massage provokes fluid pressure on the membrane, after which the tear stream opens. It is recommended to carry out such manipulations only for up to two months.

What to do if the eye is festering and treatment is started too late?

In this case, the child may be prescribed tubule probing. This procedure V early age not scary. Its essence lies in clearing the nasolacrimal ducts. Probing is done under local anesthesia with a special probe. The effect is noticeable after the procedure. After which a course of antibacterial drugs is prescribed.

Only an ophthalmologist can treat suppuration in a child’s eyes. Therefore, when the first signs occur, it is recommended to consult a specialist who will prescribe the necessary medications.