In case of eye inflammation in a newborn caused by various infections, certain treatment is required. Wet eyes can easily pick up the white, yellow, or green pasty substance that comes from the discharge. There are other causes of discharge from the eyes. Any of the infections can lead to their appearance.
Causes of jaundice
So why does this disease occur? The thing is that while the child was in the womb, his red blood cells were filled with fetal hemoglobin. After contact with the placenta was stopped, the newborn's red blood cells were destroyed due to immature hemoglobin.
As a result of this breakdown, a new substance was formed - bilirubin. It is this that is the “culprit” of the yellowing of the baby’s eyes and skin. In an adult, bilirubin is removed from the body with the help of the liver, but in an infant it is not yet able to work at full capacity, so bilirubin tends to accumulate.
The following reasons contribute to the appearance of this condition:
- the emergence of a conflict situation between the blood cells of the baby and the mother;
- congenital infectious diseases;
- oxygen starvation or suffocation during the birth process;
- hormonal imbalance;
- underdeveloped liver or bile ducts.
Causes of discharge from the eyes in a child
Most babies do not produce tears during the first few weeks of life. Usually, starting from the 3rd - 4th week, children's eyes gradually begin to look glassy, and then the normal process of tearing begins.
Once your baby starts producing tears, he should be able to dry them. Usually the small openings under the eyeball (tear ducts) are too small for the tears to dry properly. They may be too narrow or easily covered by microscopic debris that gets into the eyes every day. This can cause tears to linger and your eyes to appear glassy and moist.
During childbirth, the baby is exposed to bacteria that are in the vaginal canal. Most bacteria won't cause any problems, but some, especially the sexually transmitted diseases gonorrhea and chlamydia, can cause eye discharge and vision loss. As a result, special ointments must be applied to the eye area of the newborn immediately after birth, which will protect them from the occurrence of infectious diseases.
The main disinfectant for secretions in the past was silver nitrate, which caused severe irritation of the mucous membrane. Therefore, erythromycin is now widely used
. This antibiotic kills all known types of bacteria, while causing virtually no irritation. Since ointments are applied directly to the eyes, their effect on the child’s body as a whole is minimal, they have virtually no contraindications and are strongly recommended for use by many doctors for discharge. However, if the mother was regularly observed by a gynecologist during pregnancy and did not show symptoms of any sexual disorders, the use of antibiotics is not necessary.
However, given the painlessness of eye antibiotics, as well as the fact that the baby’s possible loss of vision if you refuse to use them can be one hundred percent, we would still advise you to carefully consider the use of these ointments in the treatment of discharge.
Treatment of jaundice
As mentioned above, treatment of jaundice is required only if it has acquired a pathological form. For this, drug therapy is used. Medicines are selected depending on the cause that triggered the development of the disease.
The method of blood transfusion is also quite often used. It is used if the cause of the disease is a conflict between the blood of the mother and the child. In case of severe pathology, the use of glucose and activated carbon is indicated. Thanks to the mixed action of these two substances, bilirubin is broken down and excreted from the baby’s body along with feces.
As you can see, jaundice responds well to treatment if it is started in a timely manner. Therefore, if you notice the first symptoms of this disease, consult a doctor as quickly as possible to help your newborn.
The human eye is covered with a thin mucous film that performs a protective function. A small amount of mucus discharge from the eyes in the morning after sleep is normal. But there are situations when there is a lot of discharge, it changes its color and consistency, causing discomfort and irritation in the eyes.
The most common causes of eye discharge are:
- Inflammatory diseases of the eyelids (blepharitis), mucous membrane of the eyelids and eyeball (conjunctivitis), cornea (keratitis), lacrimal ducts (dacryocystitis, canaliculitis). Inflammatory discharge from the eyes is most often caused by a viral or bacterial infection.
- Non-inflammatory diseases (dry eye syndrome, disruption of the normal function of the eyelid glands).
Blepharitis (inflammation of the eyelids)
Blepharitis can be staphylococcal (caused by staphylococcal infection), seborrheic (accompanies seborrheic dermatitis), demodicosis (caused by Demodex mites) or may be associated with dysfunction of the eyelid glands. The nature of the discharge in blepharitis is often thick, pasty or foamy; the discharge accumulates in the corners of the eyes, causing eyelashes to stick together. With all blepharitis, in addition to discharge from the eyes, a burning sensation, itching in the eyelid area, a feeling of heaviness of the eyelids, discomfort and dry eyes may occur.
Conjunctivitis (inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eyelids and eyeball)
The most common forms of conjunctivitis are bacterial, viral, and allergic conjunctivitis. It can also be caused by gonococcal and chlamydial infections.
- Viral inflammation is accompanied by profuse lacrimation, mucous discharge, redness and irritation of the eyes. Viral conjunctivitis can occur either independently or against the background of a deterioration in general health.
- Bacterial conjunctivitis is characterized by copious purulent discharge, leading to eyelashes sticking together and eyelids sticking together in the morning. Other common complaints with this form of inflammation are redness, a gritty feeling and a burning sensation in the eyes.
- Allergic conjunctivitis is characterized by abundant mucous discharge, similar to lacrimation; the patient may be bothered by itching, swelling and severe redness of the mucous membrane of the eye.
Keratitis (inflammation of the cornea)
The most common are bacterial, viral and fungal keratitis. As a rule, with all types of keratitis, mucous discharge appears. Also characterized by profuse lacrimation, high sensitivity to light, severe pain and the inability to open the eyes.
Dacryocystitis (inflammation of the lacrimal sac) and canaliculitis (inflammation of the lacrimal ducts)
The cause of dacryocystitis and canaliculitis is a bacterial infection that causes the appearance of copious mucous or mucopurulent discharge in the quiet eye. When pressing on the lacrimal sac, mucopurulent discharge is released through the canaliculi. The disease appears as swelling in the inner corner of the eye, watery eyes, pain and redness.
Dry eye syndrome
Dry eye syndrome most often occurs due to increased tear evaporation. The reason for this may be dysfunction of the eyelid glands, insufficient blinking movements, wearing contact lenses, and environmental factors. Characteristic signs are a feeling of dryness, burning, periodic blurred vision, and sometimes a mucous, thready discharge.
When to see a doctor
For any discharge from the eyes accompanied by unpleasant sensations, you should visit an ophthalmologist. In the absence of proper and timely treatment, the condition may worsen, and the disease may become chronic.
Diagnostic methods
To correctly establish the cause of purulent discharge from the eyes, a pediatric ophthalmologist conducts a series of studies.
It includes:
- external examination of the organ of vision;
- visometry - determination of visual acuity (deterioration of vision is most often detected);
- refractometry - the ophthalmologist finds out whether there is ametropia by autorefractometry or skiascopy;
- biomicroscopy - study of the structures of the anterior segment of the organ of vision using a slit lamp (during the examination, the doctor reveals, in addition to purulent secretion, hyperemia, swelling of the conjunctiva, in some cases, damage to the cornea is determined);
- ophthalmoscopy – examination of the structures of the fundus is carried out to exclude concomitant pathology;
- swab-scraping from the conjunctiva - performed to determine the causative agent of the infectious process.
If a sick child is suspected of having blenorrhea, a PCR test is performed. The method detects Neisseria DNA.
Main types and causes of discharge
Depending on the provoking factor, discharge from the eyes of a child may vary:
- clear discharge often appears when something gets into the eyes or during an allergic reaction. Allergens can be either external (pollen, household dust, etc.) or internal, food;
- copious yellowish discharge with a viscous consistency, which promotes sticking of the eyelids, most often indicates conjunctivitis or other infectious inflammatory processes that easily develop if basic hygiene is not observed. Such discharge is most abundant in the morning immediately after waking up, since the affected glands produce it most actively during sleep;
- With blepharitis, a child may experience thick yellow-green discharge, which contributes to the formation of scales and crusts on the eyelids. This inflammatory disease is contagious; you can catch it either in kindergarten or school, or on the street;
- mucopurulent discharge appearing from the lacrimal openings, accompanied by redness and soreness of the eyelids, indicate dacryocystitis - obstruction of the lacrimal canal. Sometimes this disease is congenital, but more often stagnation of fluid in the lacrimal canal occurs due to infection by pathogenic microorganisms.
Discharge from the eyes requires the supervision of a doctor who can conduct a detailed examination of the child and prescribe appropriate treatment. You must understand that most infectious and inflammatory diseases of the organs of vision can lead to extremely undesirable consequences, and therefore you should not try to treat the child yourself with the help of folk remedies and medications.
How to treat the disease in newborns?
If the diagnosis of dacryocystitis is confirmed, doctors prescribe stimulation of the nasolacrimal ducts. To do this, the duct, which is located on the lower eyelid of the inner corner of the eye, is massaged with light movements towards the nose. This procedure is done 5-7 times during the day. As a result of constant pressure, the closed membrane of the duct ruptures, the channel becomes open. If the canal does not open before 6 months from birth, surgery is necessary. It is simple and is carried out by an ophthalmologist in the clinic’s office. The doctor inserts a thin probe into the canal and opens it. In rare cases, this operation is performed under general anesthesia.
What to do
If you notice any type of discharge from your child’s eyes, the first step is to make an appointment with a pediatric ophthalmologist. Before seeing a doctor, you can relieve the condition in several ways. So, if in the morning the child cannot open his eyes due to the accumulation of viscous secretions, gently wipe them with a clean cotton swab dipped in warm water. Thick discharge can also be removed with a tampon by gently massaging the eyelids.
After the doctor prescribes treatment, it is important to follow his recommendations and not stop the therapeutic course when improvements occur.
To avoid eye infections, a child must be taught proper hygiene . You must explain to him that in kindergarten and school he should only use his own towel and not rub his eyes with dirty hands. Such preventive measures will reduce the risk of inflammatory diseases of the organs of vision.
Why does the eye fester in a newborn and older children: the most common causes
- Manifestation of allergies. A newborn may have an allergic reaction, for example, to milk or medications. In this case, excessive production of tears occurs, which causes redness of the eyes and the appearance of pus.
- Blepharitis is a disease affecting the edges of the eyelids, accompanied by the appearance of purulent crusts on the eyelashes, gluing of eyelashes, swelling and redness of the edges of the eyelids. Improper eye hygiene in a child can lead to the appearance of pus on the eyelashes.
- Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eyeball and eyelids that occurs against the background of the presence of chlamydia (possibly due to infection through the birth canal), staphylococcus, ARVI, influenza and other infectious diseases. The main signs of inflammation are redness of the eyes, accumulation of pus in the corners of the eyes, itching, tearing, and pain in the eyelid area.
- Dacryocystitis - the cause of pus in the eyes of a newborn baby is a violation of the patency of the lacrimal canaliculi.
- If the first symptoms appear, an urgent consultation with an ophthalmologist is necessary, who can accurately diagnose and prescribe the necessary course of treatment.
