General
Are your child’s eyes red, sticky and watery? Then you should definitely consider conjunctivitis, which can even be contagious in certain cases and always requires a doctor to treat it. If conjunctivitis is indeed diagnosed, you will find the best tips for treating the disease in our following article.
Symptoms and treatment tips
Conjunctivitis in small children is manifested by the following symptoms: Conjunctivitis can affect one or both eyes. This depends on the cause and the hygiene that is maintained. Allergic conjunctivitis usually occurs on both sides, whereas pathogen-induced conjunctivitis initially only occurs on one side.
These can, however, spread to the other eye by rubbing in the eyes via smear infection. Allergic conjunctivitis (hay fever) is accompanied by runny nose and the eyes are usually not covered in pus but are characterized by a clear secretion. Our best tips for treatment: You can find more helpful tips in our article: Treatment of conjunctivitis
- A red, watery eye that burns and itches and may cause pain
- After getting up, sticky and encrusted eyes with slimy secretion
- Foreign body sensation in the eye, which is noticeable when blinking
- Photosensitivity
- Always consult a doctor first!
If conjunctivitis is suspected, a doctor should always be consulted. This is especially important if the eyes are purulent and sticky, as it is very likely to be a bacterial inflammation, which is contagious and requires treatment. – Clean the affected eye!
The sticky eyes can be carefully cleaned with warm water. By applying a warm washcloth, acute itching and burning can also be relieved. Especially in the case of a viral inflammation, which usually heals itself after a few days, all that is required is regular cleaning of the eye with a wet cloth.
Procedure: For cleaning you can use the tip of a handkerchief. Your child should look slightly upwards. Now pull the lower eyelid down slightly and remove the foreign body with the help of the handkerchief.
If the edges of the eyelids or eyelashes are stuck together, a gauze swab is best for cleaning. This should be moistened lukewarm. Now you can carefully wipe from the outer to the inner corner of the eye.
- Use eye drops and eye ointments only on the doctor’s recommendation! Eye drops of vegetable origin without preservatives are best suited for small children. Treatment with Euphrasia (eyebright) has proved particularly effective.
Euphrasia can be used as eye drops, but is also available as globules or tablets. As they are purely herbal, no side effects are to be expected. In the case of an inflammation caused by bacteria, it is necessary to administer ointments or eye drops containing antibiotics which fight the bacteria.
In the case of conjunctivitis in babies, breast milk can also be trickled into the affected eye as an alternative to conventional eye drops, as it has an anti-inflammatory effect. However, you should never use eye drops or ointments unless your doctor has expressly recommended or prescribed them! Top tip: If your child struggles or cries, dribble the drops into the inner corner of the eye.
Now carefully pull off the lower eyelid, this way the drops will spread by themselves. – Do not touch the eye! Constant rubbing around the eye delays healing, as this can lead to the spread of pathogens and increase the risk of infection through a smear infection.
You should therefore make sure that your child does not touch the affected eye too often. Your child’s regular hand hygiene as well as your own should also be observed. – Allow the eye to rest!
The eye should now not be exposed to any further irritation. As an accompanying symptom of conjunctivitis can be sensitivity to light, the children’s room should be darkened a little. Television or computers should be taboo at this time.
It is better to entertain your child with audio books or toys. – Do an allergy test! If you have an allergic conjunctivitis, you should consider an allergy test to find out the exact cause. Depending on the extent and necessity, desensitization may be considered.
