Conjunctivitis in infants: causes, treatment, prevention

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the lining of the eyes. The disease is quite common, and even in infants. Lachrymation, redness, itching and burning appear. This type of inflammation is caused by a virus. Conjunctivitis can be allergic, viral and chlamydial.

Allergic

In the first case, inflammation of the connective membrane of the eyes occurs. When the child wakes up, his eyelids may look glued together. The kid pulls his hands to his eyes, scratches them. There are seasonal allergic conjunctivitis, which manifests itself during the flowering of allergy-causing plants and shrubs. What else can provoke the occurrence? Animal hair, a number of foods and medicines, and ordinary dust are strong allergens. Year-round inflammation is expressed by chronic runny nose and bronchial asthma. The viral form of the disease occurs as a result of pneumonia and tonsillitis.

Chlamydial conjunctivitis cannot appear in a baby. It affects adults. And newborn children can suffer from allergic, viral and bacterial types of illness. By the way, they get sick quite often. But how and where can a baby become infected, before it has had time to interact with the environment, because it has just been born? Turns out,bacteria can enter the child's body through the birth canal.

Reasons

The causes of conjunctivitis are as follows: staying in rooms where aerosols and paints are sprayed, beriberi, visual impairment, bright sun and dry air.

Attentive parents will always notice any deviation in the he alth of their baby. And tears and redness of the eyes will give cause for concern. It happens that not immediately both eyes become inflamed. At first, only one can be affected by the disease. But this is at the beginning, and if treatment is not started on time, the second eye will also become inflamed.

Treatments

Conjunctivitis in infants is a serious disease. Therefore, joking with him, self-medicating, is not worth it. Any treatment should begin with a trip to the attending pediatrician. This is the only way to most effectively act on the virus that causes conjunctivitis. The specialist will definitely prescribe drops. He will also select the best dosage for a particular case. Your doctor will recommend cold compresses. With the correct and systematic use of the prescribed drugs, the child recovers quickly: in a few weeks. Sometimes it is enough to save the baby from contact with the allergen. With a bacterial form of the disease, ointments and drops are used that contain antibiotics. They eliminate inflammation and have a mild effect on the children's body, since the dosage of antibiotics in the preparations is low. Conjunctivitis resolves quickly with drops.

Decoctions

Decoctions of medicinal herbs canenhance the effect of drugs and cope with inflammation. They rub the eyes of babies.

The procedure is simple. Using a gauze swab dipped in a decoction of chamomile, sage and nettle, wipe the eyes after two hours. Direction - from the outer corner to the inner. Thus, pus and dried crusts are perfectly removed from the baby's eyes. Wiping should not be done with cotton wool to prevent fibers from getting into the eyes of the child.

Aloe juice and tea

We should not forget about folk remedies. Aloe juice is used to treat conjunctivitis. To do this, squeeze the juice from the leaves of the plant, dilute it with water: one part to ten. Three times a day, instill in each eye.

Black tea is a great known drink that relieves inflammation of the eyes. Brew strong tea and make compresses on both eyes. This will speed up the cleansing of the eyes.

Furacilin solution will help remove pus. Of the drugs, chloramphenicol drops, tetracycline eye ointment are preferred.

Purulent

Purulent conjunctivitis occurs due to infection. Bacteria enters the eyes due to dirty hands and dust. The eyelids become heavy, in the eyes there is a feeling of pain and severe itching. The child may develop photophobia.

Purulent conjunctivitis in newborns occurs due to a decrease in the immunity of the baby itself, the birth of premature babies,births from mothers who use alcohol and drugs. Sometimes, unfortunately, there is unsanitary conditions in the maternity hospital.

Among the preventive measures, one very important thing can be mentioned: proper treatment of babies' eyes.

Spicy

Acute conjunctivitis occurs with a sensation of pain and redness. Mucus with pus also begins to appear. Acute conjunctivitis is accompanied by general malaise, headache and fever. Constant burning and sensation of a foreign object in the eye are present in this form of the disease.

Young mothers are tormented by the question: if conjunctivitis is found in a baby, is it possible to walk with him on the street? Of course, it is possible if the child does not have a fever and runny nose.

Conjunctivitis in infants can occur along with a cold and goes away on its own after seven days. In adults, this period lasts longer.

Prevention

Prevention of conjunctivitis in infants is the observance of hygiene procedures. Eye disease is a serious ailment, especially conjunctivitis in infants. How to treat if the baby became infected during childbirth, and the inflammation begins almost immediately from the moment of birth? The baby cannot open his eyes, the eyelids are swollen, the conjunctiva is red, purulent mucus is released. It should be washed with special solutions that have a disinfectant effect. You also need to apply drops and anesthetics. Treatment should not be abandoned, it should be continued until the final recovery.

Often accompanied by conjunctivitistemperature. This symptom indicates the presence of pathogenic bacteria and viruses in the baby's body. The temperature stays for about three days. You should definitely see a doctor.

Treatment

If a child has conjunctivitis, Komarovsky E. O. recommends giving him the safe drug Suprastin. It can be used by babies from the first days of life.

We figured out what conjunctivitis is, Komarovsky gives some useful recommendations on this matter: it is better for a baby with a disease not to walk on public playgrounds, not to visit crowded places so as not to add another infection.

Conjunctivitis is different. Drops are selected in accordance with the purpose and type of disease.

The bacterial species is treated with drops of "Tobrex", "Levomycetin" and "Tsipromed". With a viral variety of conjunctivitis, the drug "Ciprofloxan" is used.

The most important thing to remember is that it is very difficult to cure such a disease in a newborn baby. And if it so happened that the baby still fell ill, there is no need to reproach yourself and assume that all the blame falls on the mother. This is possible even with the most careful care. It is important to know exactly how to treat the baby.

If the disease is treated incorrectly, serious consequences cannot be ruled out: a chronic form may develop that will affect visual acuity.

It is not recommended to apply a bandage over the eyes. This negatively affects recovery, as microbes and bacteria will begin to multiply under it. In case of inflammation of the eyes, there should be free contact withair.

Folk remedies should not be abused, such as washing with baking soda, compresses from dairy products, using castor oil instead of eye drops, applying grated potatoes and black bread.

It should be remembered that children born prematurely as a result of conjunctivitis may develop complications in the form of meningitis, sepsis and otitis media. Do not relax and consider inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eyes as a harmless, easily passing disease.

Every mother wants to see her baby strong and he althy. And the foundation of a child's he alth is laid in the first years of his life. Immunity is developed and strengthened, physical and mental qualities develop, the baby acquires useful communication skills and creative imagination. I would not want one disease to cross out all of the above.

You can not completely protect the child from communication with other children and adults. And maybe even with those who are already sick. But a mother must remember that her son or daughter must be treated with great attention, since any disease is easier to prevent or cure at the very first stage than to treat an already running variant. Another rule: do not overdo it with folk remedies. And in everything you need to consult with your doctor.

Conclusion

To summarize, conjunctivitis is the most common disease in newborns. And for young inexperienced parents, any ailment of their firstborn caninduce a state of panic. Do not rush, find out the causes of purulent discharge from the eyes, consult a pediatrician - these are the first steps of parents with suspected conjunctivitis. Any state of the mother is transmitted to her child. This connection is invisible. If the mother panics, worries, the baby will become restless, tearful. And any excitement and irritability have a bad effect on the healing process. Good mood, faith in the best has always had a positive effect in the treatment of any disease.