Conjunctivitis in a baby is characterized by the appearance of red eyes, with a lot of rowing and irritability. In addition, the baby may also carry his or her hands on his or her face more often due to discomfort.
Treatment of conjunctivitis in a baby should be guided by an ophthalmologist or pediatrician and may be performed with antibiotic eye drops or ointments, antihistamines or eye cleansing with gauze moistened with filtered water or saline, depending on the type of conjunctivitis. Most of the time, conjunctivitis is easily controlled, but it’s important to take the baby to the pediatrician because, in some cases, it can lead to meningitis.
- The baby may have conjunctivitis due to a bacterial infection.
- Called bacterial conjunctivitis.
- Due to an infection with a virus.
- Known as viral conjunctivitis or because of an allergenic substance called allergic conjunctivitis.
- Learn more about how to identify each type of conjunctivitis.
Symptoms of conjunctivitis in infants or newborns include
These symptoms may be present in one or both eyes, and usually when present in both eyes, it is allergic conjunctivitis. However, it is very important to assess the baby by the ophthalmologist or pediatrician, to perform the diagnosis and direct treatment according to the type of conjunctivitis.
Treatment of conjunctivitis in a baby should always be guided by an ophthalmologist or pediatrician and varies by type of conjunctivitis:
Cases of bacterial conjunctivitis usually cause significant inflammation and can easily develop symptoms in both eyes. This type of conjunctivitis should usually be treated with antibiotics, in the form of eye drops, ointments or syrups.
In addition, it is very important to always keep the eyes very clean and imperfect, since this type of substance facilitates the development of bacteria and can delay healing. Learn how to properly clean your baby’s eyes.
Bacterial conjunctivitis can lead to complications such as meningitis or pneumonia, so it’s important to follow all your doctor’s advice to avoid these complications and ensure your baby’s health.
In these cases, only the cleaning of the eyes with an individual gauze moistened with filtered water, mineral water or physiological serum can be indicated, since this type of conjunctivitis usually tends to disappear naturally in about 1 week, without the need to take medication.
Some eye drops, especially moisturizers, may also be indicated by your doctor, but mainly to reduce discomfort.
Since allergic conjunctivitis is caused by an allergic reaction to a product or substance, treatment is usually done with the use of antihistamines and/or cortisone remedies, which decrease the immune system’s response and relieve symptoms.
When treating childhood conjunctivitis, in addition to medications, it is also important to take certain precautions such as keeping your baby’s eyes clean, wearing disposable handkerchiefs, and always a new one for each eye.
Other precautions include
These precautions are very important because they prevent the spread of conjunctivitis from one eye to another of the baby and the baby to others.
It is not recommended to pour drops of breast milk directly into the baby’s eyes with conjunctivitis as there is no evidence of their role in treating such infections. In addition, water with boric acid is also completely contracted due to the risk of boric acid poisoning.