How to quickly cure conjunctivitis in children at home: pharmacy drops and folk remedies. we treat conjunctivitis at home quickly, how to quickly relieve the symptoms of conjunctivitis

Most parents are faced with the development of conjunctivitis in their child, so it is important to know the first symptoms of the disease and the measures that need to be taken immediately. Children's conjunctivitis responds well to treatment at home if therapy is started on time and received doctor's recommendations. Let's find out how to deal with the disease at home.

Eye inflammation in children can occur at any age. Even newborn babies can suffer from conjunctivitis. The peak of the disease occurs between the ages of two and seven years. There are many causes of pathology, from allergies to viruses. Correctly identifying the causative agent is extremely important. The choice of treatment regimen for the child depends on this.

General information

Both for adults and for parents of small children, the pressing question is what conjunctivitis (mistakenly called: conjunctivitis, conjunctivitis, conectivitis, conjunctivitis) and how to treat it. This disease is common among children; its main symptom is inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eyes .
It should be taken into account when discussing conjunctivitis (erroneously: conectivitis, conjunctivitis, conjunctivitis, conjunctivitis) that this is a disease that is easier to prevent than to cure. Children's conjunctivitis is most often associated with a cold, severe hypothermia or allergic manifestations.

What should you do to avoid getting sick?

To prevent the development of this disease, you should take into account the reasons for its development. The causes of conjunctivitis are often associated with violations of hygiene rules, so you need to make sure that your baby’s bed is always clean, wash his hands, and keep his toys clean. Older children should be taught to regularly wash their hands on their own.

Differences between a healthy eye and a sick one

It is important to regularly ventilate the room (Dr. Komarovsky and others always emphasize this), use humidifiers and air purifiers. It is necessary to provide the baby with proper nutrition and a sufficient amount of vitamins in the diet. It is important to walk with your child for at least two hours every day and prevent contact with sick children.

Despite the fact that the eyelids and tear fluid are barriers to the growth of bacteria, viruses and infections in the eyes, if immunity weakens, conjunctivitis may develop.

Prevention

Preventive measures include compliance by the baby and parents with personal hygiene. Basic recommendations:

Teach your child to wash their hands regularly: before and after eating, when returning from the street to the house, etc.
Disinfect your child's toys, especially those that have been outside.
Teach your child to use his own towel and handkerchief.
Carry out wet cleaning in the house more often, ventilate the rooms.
Change your baby's bedding often, especially pillowcases.

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Symptoms of conjunctivitis in children

It is not difficult to determine that this particular disease is developing, since the signs of conjunctivitis are always the same. But the symptoms of the disease are more troublesome for children, so they often have a more violent reaction to the disease. If a child's eye is inflamed, he may become restless, lethargic, and cry a lot. With this disease, children complain that their eyes hurt and feel as if sand had gotten into their eyes.

The main signs of inflammation of the conjunctiva in a child are as follows:

loss of appetite;
deterioration of vision: the child sees unclearly, blurred;
feeling that there are foreign bodies in the eyes;
discomfort and burning in the eyes.

Conjunctivitis in a child, treatment

First of all, parents should understand that treatment of conjunctivitis in children should not be practiced independently, without a doctor’s prescription.

Eye conjunctivitis, photo

How to cure quickly, how to wash it and how to treat conjunctivitis in children should be determined by an ophthalmologist after an examination. A specialist prescribes treatment for childhood conjunctivitis only after determining what caused the child’s eyes to fester. Children's conjunctivitis should be treated at home according to the regimen prescribed by a specialist.

It should be taken into account that in children under 3 years of age, symptoms of inflammation and slight redness are sometimes associated with foreign objects entering the eye - eyelashes, grains of sand, as well as with the development of an allergic reaction to various irritants.

However, similar symptoms in children may be associated with more serious causes - increased intracranial or intraocular pressure .
In this case, the symptoms will also be similar.

Common causes and symptoms of inflammation

Typical clinical manifestations of all forms of eye inflammation in children look the same. This is redness of the mucous membrane, burning and itching, swelling of the eyelids, lacrimation. The causes of conjunctivitis in children aged 4 years are quite varied:

severe overheating or hypothermia of the body;

diseases of the nasopharyngeal system (sinusitis, tonsillitis);

viral colds;

general weakened state of the body (lowered immunity).

In children aged 4 years, the mucous membrane of the eyes is very delicate and sensitive. Frequent causes of irritation and possible inflammation are aggressive environmental influences (bright sunlight, chemicals in the air, dust particles).

The main symptoms that help determine the presence of eye inflammation are:

redness, swelling of the eyes (eyelids);

tearfulness;

discharge of pus from the tear ducts;

pain in the eyes, burning sensation.

Acute conjunctivitis develops very quickly. The child begins to feel unwell, weakness appears, body temperature rises, and a headache may appear. The baby becomes capricious and whiny. Various forms of diseases have their own, separate causes and characteristics, which depend on the infectious agents.

Viral conjunctivitis

It is caused by a viral infection. This form of inflammation occurs against the background of the development of colds caused by various types of viruses. Due to its volatility and mobility, the virus can be picked up from adults (through shared objects or through the air). External signs of inflammation are reddened eyes with swollen eyelids. Excessive tearing appears, the child’s eyes may constantly itch and itch.

Depending on the type of virus, there are several types of infections: adenoviral, herpes and epidemiological. Each of these types of diseases has its own characteristics.

Some of the main signs of conjunctivitis in children are moodiness, fatigue and tearfulness.

Children are often affected by herpetic conjunctivitis, which occurs when the herpes virus is activated. Only one eye can become inflamed. The symptoms are vague, the disease is sluggish and long-lasting. Herpetic rashes appear on the eyelids in the form of blisters. According to the form of the course, it can be catarrhal or follicular.

With the adenoviral type of inflammation, the eyes and throat are simultaneously infected. Body temperature rises greatly. As a rule, both eyes become inflamed. Characteristic manifestations will be redness and swelling of the eyelids, as well as mucous discharge from the eye canals.

The epidemiological type is caused by an adenovirus. The initial manifestations of infection are weakness, headache, loss of appetite. Then redness of the eyes, swelling of the eyelids appear, and purulent discharge may begin.

Determining the type of conjunctivitis

The viral , bacterial and allergic types of this disease are determined Purulent conjunctivitis in children is of a bacterial nature; accordingly, the treatment of purulent conjunctivitis in children is carried out according to the treatment regimen for a disease of bacterial origin.

Types of disease

If the eyes are red and irritated, but there is no pus, we are talking about viral or allergic conjunctivitis (see photo above). If symptoms of pharyngitis and conjunctivitis appear, the development of adenoviral conjunctivitis .

Possible consequences and complications

The complications that arise are almost always reversible.

Forms of pathological changes in the mucous membrane of the eye:

catarrhal;
purulent;
membranous;
follicular.

The last three forms are dangerous and can lead to keratitis.

If a dense gray film has formed, then removing it is painful, with the release of blood, as a result of which scars can form.

Inflammation of the mucous membrane can spread to the cornea, intensify symptoms and the disease becomes chronic.

Very rarely, but in the absence of treatment, weakened immunity and unsanitary conditions, you can completely lose your vision.

Also possible:

sepsis;
meningitis;
Otitis media

Basic rules of treatment in children

Until a diagnosis has been established, you should not decide on your own how to treat conjunctivitis if the child is 2 years old or younger. But if for a certain reason it is not possible to immediately visit a specialist, if you suspect an allergic or viral form of the disease in a 2-year-old child, you can drop Albucid .

If there is a suspicion of an allergic nature of the disease, the child should be given an antihistamine .

If a bacterial or viral type of disease is diagnosed, how to treat conjunctivitis if the child is 3 years old or older depends on the purpose. Dr. Komarovsky and other experts advise using Furacilin or chamomile decoction . A 3-year-old child, as well as younger children, should be washed every two hours in the first days of illness, then three times a day. Rinsing with chamomile or furatsilin solution for small children should be done in the direction from the temple to the nose. Chamomile is an excellent folk remedy, a decoction of which can also be used to remove crusts from the eyes. To do this, a sterile napkin is moistened in the prepared broth. You can also wash your baby with a decoction of sage, calendula, and weak tea. If only one eye is inflamed, both should still be washed so that the infection does not spread to the other eye. A separate cotton pad is used for each eye.

Diagnosis of the disease

If a bacterial form is diagnosed in a child, an eye patch cannot be used, as bacteria will multiply more actively in it.

Whether it is possible for children to walk with conjunctivitis depends on the intensity of the process. If the baby's condition improves, short walks will benefit him. However, it is better to avoid contact with other children during the illness, as the infection can be transmitted. You should not walk outside if the cause of the disease is an allergic reaction, and during this period allergen plants, etc., bloom.

Bacterial conjunctivitis in children, which is treated at home, goes away quickly if you strictly follow all the instructions.

Eye drops for children against conjunctivitis

You can only use drops for treatment that are included in the list of drops recommended by your doctor. At the very beginning of the disease, you need to drip disinfectant drops every three hours.

As a rule, children's eye drops for inflammation are prescribed: 10% solution of Albucid (for infants), Levomycetin , Fucithalmic , Eubital , Vitabact , Colbiotsin . Eye drops for children with redness should be prescribed by a doctor, having initially determined the nature of this phenomenon.

Treatment of redness and inflammation of the eye also involves the use of eye ointments - Erythromycin , Tetracycline .
Eye ointment for redness and inflammation is placed under the lower eyelid.

Diagnostics

Treatment of inflammation must begin immediately after the first signs are identified. But not on your own: first you need to see an ophthalmologist. For a quick and accurate diagnosis, parents are advised to carefully monitor the development of the process and tell the doctor in detail about its course.

The first thing the doctor must determine is the cause of the inflammatory process. In the case of a bacterial or viral infection, it is necessary to identify the pathogen in order to select optimal measures.

Diagnostics includes:

medical examination of the visual organs;
eye biomicroscopy;
cytology of a smear taken from the conjunctiva of the affected organ of vision.

If a child has purulent discharge, the final diagnosis is made after a virological, bacteriological, and serological examination of the smear. If you suspect an allergic nature of the disease, consult an allergist. In this case, additional examination is recommended:

taking skin allergy tests;
determination of eosinophil concentration;
examination for the likelihood of helminthic infestation or dysbacteriosis.

Diagnosis begins with a general examination of the baby. Most signs are visual, so it is not difficult to identify them with a basic history and visual examination of the eyes. If the doctor needs clarification, additional bacterial tests, allergy tests and other tests may be done at the doctor's discretion.

How to apply eye drops correctly

It is important to know how to properly instill drops into the eyes, especially if infants under one year of age are being treated.

How to apply eye drops correctly

Parents are advised to watch the video of the process to ensure everything is done correctly.

Small children can only put drops in their eyes with a pipette whose end is rounded.
Before instillation, you need to place a month-old baby or older baby on a surface without a pillow. Let someone help - support his head. Next, you need to pull the eyelid down and drop 1-2 drops. Excess should be blotted with a napkin.
If eye drops for inflammation and redness need to be instilled into an older child, and he constantly closes his eyes, you should simply drop the solution between the lower upper eyelid. When the baby opens his eyes, the anti-inflammatory eye drops will go inside.
Before dripping Albucid into the eyes of children, as well as using other drops, you should warm them up in your hand if the product was in the refrigerator. Do not put drops into the eyes that have been left open for a long time, or a product whose expiration date has expired.
Older children should learn to wash their eyes and drip medicine on their own, under adult supervision.

Conjunctivitis in newborns

Young mothers often notice that the baby’s eye is festering and yellow discharge appears. Sometimes both eyes become swollen. It happens that after sleep the eyelids stick together so much that they cannot be opened.

Pus in the eyes of a baby is not uncommon. But, before treating conjunctivitis in a newborn, it is necessary to distinguish it from inflammation of the lacrimal sac , non-opening of the lacrimal canal . Therefore, a specialist should confirm the diagnosis and tell you how to treat conjunctivitis in an infant.

How to treat this disease in newborns also depends on the causes of its development. Purulent discharge may appear due to the following factors:

weakened immune system;
infection when passing through the birth canal;
infection by bacteria living in the maternal body;
mother's infection with herpes ;
poor hygiene of the newborn;
foreign body getting into the eyes.

The doctor determines the cause and, accordingly, prescribes how to treat pus in the child’s eyes, what to rinse with and what to drip. Please note that any eye drops can be given to a newborn only after approval by a specialist. Even those eye drops that are sold without a prescription cannot be used without a prescription.

As a rule, infants are recommended to use Furacilin for rinsing. Furacilin is diluted using one crushed tablet per 100 ml of water, the temperature of which is 37 degrees. How to wash a child’s eyes with furatsilin depends on the child’s age. For the smallest children, you can carefully wash their eyes with cotton pads soaked in the solution. This remedy is suitable for small children, but it is still better to ask your doctor individually about whether it is possible to wash your eyes with furatsilin.

For rinsing, you can use a decoction of chamomile, which is a good treatment for purulent conjunctivitis, as well as decoctions of sage and calendula . The baby can bathe in a bath with the addition of these decoctions.

It is recommended to massage the baby's nasolacrimal duct . For those who plan to do it themselves, you can watch the video or ask a doctor what this procedure looks like.

How to treat?

Therapy for such a disease must be comprehensive.

General approach

During treatment, the parents’ task is to reduce the strain on the patient’s eyes.

You should avoid working at a computer and watching TV, injuring your eyes , and staying indoors or outdoors where the air temperature is too low or too high .

When going outside in sunny weather, you must wear sunglasses.

It is not recommended to visit places with high humidity and high temperatures (sauna, swimming pool), or to be in public places. It is better for your child not to attend kindergarten during treatment

Remember! It is important to follow the rules of hygiene, ensure that the child does not rub his eyes, and remove purulent formations in a timely manner.

Medicines

For the bacterial form of the disease, are prescribed .

It is prohibited to use pharmaceutical products without a doctor's prescription.

Drops with antibacterial effect:

levomitin;
Tobrex;
Fucithalmic;
Phloxal.

You can use Tobrex , Eubetal ointments , as well as erythromycin, chloramphenicol, and ofloxacin.

In case of a viral form of the disease, the doctor may prescribe drops Actipol, Poludan, Trifluridine , oxolinic ointment, Zovirax, Bonafton, Acyclovir.

The allergic form is treated with antihistamines , which are prescribed individually, taking into account age-related characteristics.

For your information! For any type of disease, the effective drug Albucid can be prescribed.

An adult should administer the eye drops, rinse the eyes, and apply the ointment. It is unsafe to allow a patient to use medications themselves.

Traditional methods

Folk remedies can alleviate the condition of a small patient , which must be agreed upon with a doctor .

They are used mainly for rinsing and quickly relieve inflammation.

For allergic conjunctivitis, rinsing is not required.

For rinsing and lotions, infusions of calendula and chamomile, infusions of kombucha, rosehip infusions and bay leaves infusions are suitable .

For the last recipe, take 4 bay leaves, pour boiling water over it and leave for 40 minutes.

Need to know! For lotions, tea bags and potato pulp wrapped in clean gauze are also used.

As drops, you can use concentrated aloe juice (1 ml per 10 ml of water) and honey diluted in the same ratio with water.

To strengthen the immune system, fresh juice from carrots, celery and parsley is used internally.

Folk remedies for treatment

For this disease, in parallel with treatment with medications, you can additionally use folk remedies in adults. For example, you can use not only furatsilin solution for rinsing, but also herbal decoctions and tea. How to wash your eyes can be decided based on the availability of certain products in the house.

It is recommended to wipe your eyes with dill water and drop in aloe juice.

When practicing the treatment of pus from the eye of an older child, you can apply the following recommendation: teach the baby to open his eyes by lowering them into clean water.

But all these means should be perceived as auxiliary. How to treat pus in a child’s eyes is prescribed by a doctor, whom it is advisable to contact immediately after the first unpleasant symptoms appear.

Characteristics of the disease

The onset of the disease manifests itself:

sticking together of eyes in the morning;
the appearance of yellow crusts on them;
leakage of pus and tears from the eyes;
swelling of the eyelids;
manifestation of photophobia, redness and swelling of the lower eyelids;
burning, pain in the eyes, blurred vision;
pink or red tint of the sclera;
pale pink follicles on the conjunctiva.

It is possible to affect both eyes simultaneously or alternately.

There may be disturbances in sleep and appetite in children, they are capricious and show irritation, itching their eyes.

Important! This disease is not dangerous, but its infectious forms are contagious.

List of sources

Tur A.F. Childhood diseases / A. F. Tur, O. F. Tarasov, N. P. Shabalov. - M.: Medicine, 1985;
Sidorenko E.I., Ilyenko L.I., Dubovskaya L.A. Ophthalmology in pediatric practice (selected sections): Textbook. allowance. M.: RGMU, 2003;
Jack Kansky. Clinical ophthalmology. - M.: Logosphere, 2009;
Ophthalmology: National Guide / Ed. S.E. Avetisova, E.A. Egorova, L.K. Moshetova et al. M.: GEOTAR-Media; 2008;
Vorontsova T.N., Prozornaya L.P. Features of the treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis in children. Ophthalmology. 2014.