What to do if a child's eyes fester

Almost every parents at least once had to deal with such a problem as suppuration of the eyes of a child. Such a disease can occur in children at any age, from birth to the adolescent period. This pathological condition is quite painful and requires timely treatment.

Why do children’s eyes fester

To begin with, it is worthwhile to find out what factor the suppuration of the organs of vision in the child was provoked. Identifying the cause will help to come to the correct treatment and prevent the problem from recurring.

Children’s eyes may fester for the following reasons:

  1. The course of viral diseases: influenza, SARS, measles.
  2. Increased intraocular pressure.
  3. Violation of the patency of the lacrimal canal.
  4. Allergic reaction.
  5. Eye contact with foreign body.
  6. Non-compliance with personal hygiene.
  7. Infection during childbirth.
  8. Use of non-sterile medical instruments.
  9. The inflammatory process in the mucous membranes of the organs of vision.
  10. Conjunctivitis
  11. Bacteria: streptococci, staphylococci and pneumococci.

The problem with suppuration of the organs of vision in a child is too serious, in this case it is not recommended to engage in self-treatment without consulting an ophthalmologist or a pediatrician.

Related symptoms

Pus that accumulates in the corners of the eye is simply unrealistic to overlook. But besides purulent discharge, this ailment is accompanied by many other signs.

Related symptoms:

  • eyelid swelling;
  • redness of the mucous membrane of the eye;
  • sleep disturbance and appetite;
  • the appearance of the film on the mucous membrane;
  • fever;
  • intolerance to bright light;
  • strong tearing;
  • the appearance of bubbles at the edges of the eyelids;
  • the formation of yellow crusts, as in the eyelid, in the eye itself;
  • soreness and burning;
  • blurred vision.

The symptomatology of this pathological condition causes a lot of discomfort and pain to the baby.

How to cure eye suppuration in newborns

In newborns, the cause of suppuration is usually different from the cause of older children. Mostly in children, this disease occurs due to a violation of the patency of the tear channel.

But it should be noted that treatment in this case can only be prescribed by a specialist.

Treatments for suppuration of the eyes in newborns include:

  1. Medications. Most often, the newborn is given anti-inflammatory drops, which prevent the onset of any complications. These drugs are absolutely harmless to the baby, and thanks to the small dosage, they do not go anywhere except the eye.
  2. Washing the visual organs. In order to eliminate the contents containing microbes, it is necessary to wash the eye of the newborn with a cotton pad moistened with a solution. This solution can be a decoction of calendula or chamomile, as well as furatsilin.
  3. Massage of the lacrimal sac. Its essence lies in the breakthrough of the membrane under the influence of pressure in the region of the lacrimal sac. As a rule, the first session of such a massage is carried out for clarity in the presence of a specialist. In the future, parents continue treatment on their own.

If conservative therapy does not bring a positive result, then the doctor prescribes cleaning of the lacrimal canal by the operative method. Such an operation is performed under local anesthesia and causes no further complications. In addition, for the baby she is absolutely painless.

Child's eyes fester: how to treat at home?

Of course, when detecting suppuration in the eyes of a child of 2-3 years or more, you should consult a doctor. But with milder forms of the disease, a specialist can prescribe treatment at home without the use of medication.

In order to cure eye ailments, the following home procedures can be prescribed:

  1. Eye wash with saline. In 1 liter of boiled water is placed 1 teaspoon of salt. The use of such a solution has no age limit, it is used for both infants and older children.
  2. Washing the eyes with a decoction of chamomile or calendula. 1 teaspoon of grass is poured 0.5 liters of boiling water and infused for 2 hours. Such a solution can be instilled or wipe the eyes with a cotton pad.
  3. To wash the eyes of the baby can be brewed strong tea.
  4. Washing the baby's eyes with furatsilina solution. 1 tablet of furatsilina poured 0.2 ml of boiled water. With this solution you can make compresses.

The above procedures can be performed with children from the very first days of life.

It should be remembered that washing should be done on both eyes, even if the suppuration arose only on one.

But home treatment is not always effective and must be stopped in the following cases:

  • no improvement observed for 2 days;
  • the child began to see poorly;
  • symptoms of photophobia are observed;
  • bubbles appeared on the eyelid;
  • the baby often cries or complains of acute eye pain.
In these situations, you must immediately call an emergency ambulance or seek the advice of a specialist.

A child's eyes fester after sleep: what to do?

The particular discomfort of suppuration of the organs of vision in children causes in the morning when the baby has just woken up. During sleep, the child does not blink, therefore, pus per night manages to accumulate in the eye in large quantities and glue the eyelids together.

During wakefulness, the child often blinks his eyes, thereby removing all superfluous from the surface of the eye and renewing the tear film.

After sleeping with suppuration of the eyes, it is necessary:

  1. With a cotton pad dipped in any solution, remove the scab from the eyelids.
  2. Wash baby with warm boiled water.
  3. To carry out all procedures prescribed by the doctor.

It is worth remembering that purulent crust should be cleaned with gentle movements, not pressing on the eyelid. Also, when treating the eye with a solution, the same cotton pad cannot be used on both visual organs.

Preventive measures

In order to reduce the risk of eye disease in children, it is necessary to observe certain preventive measures. Very often, this painful condition appears due to inadequate hygiene.

To preventive measures of eye suppuration include:

  • regular washing of the face, the baby’s eyes are best washed with cotton pads, leading them from the outside corner to the inside corner;
  • the child’s towel should be individual and clean;
  • hand hygiene, they should always be clean and nails trimmed;
  • the room in which the baby is constantly located must be ventilated, with optimum air temperature and humidity;
  • in the room where children live, wet cleaning should be carried out at least 1 time a day;
  • parents should be a good example, that is, follow all rules of personal hygiene;
  • It is necessary to exclude the contact of your child with children who have suppuration of the visual organs or any viral disease;
  • timely prevention of viral infections and taking the necessary vitamins.

Parents should remember that preventing the occurrence of any disease is much easier than getting rid of it in the future. Observing the above preventive recommendations, parents significantly reduce the risk of eye suppuration in the child.

Summarizing, we can say that the festering eyes in children is always a dangerous condition.

The neglect of this disease can lead not only to the appearance of complications, but also a significant deterioration in vision in the future. Therefore, parents are strictly not recommended to uncontrolled self-medicate at home. Only an optometrist, after consulting with a pediatrician, may prescribe the correct treatment or give recommendations on how to eliminate the ailment at home.

Additional information on the topic can be found in the following video.