How to treat purulent conjunctivitis in a child?

Purulent conjunctivitis is quite common in children.Many people consider the disease to be harmless, so they often rely on the improvised means that the child is trying to treat.However, do not do this: improper treatment of purulent conjunctivitis can lead to dangerous consequences and complications. Parents need to know how to deal with this disease, but first of all they must run with the baby to the doctor.

What it is?

Purulent conjunctivitis in newborns is an inflammation of the conjunctiva (the transparent envelope of the eye), which protects the deep structure of the eye from the negative effects of various harmful factors, viruses, bacteria and fungal microflora.

The prevalence of purulent conjunctivitis in children is caused by several factors:

• anatomical features of the eye and nasopharyngeal duct;
instagram viewer
• immaturity of mechanisms of local and general immunity of mucous membranes. Such conjunctivitis is also called mucopurulent.
• easy to get on the mucous pathogens or conditionally pathogenic microorganisms: kids often play in the sand, rubbing unwashed hands with their eyes and taking dirty toys.

As a result of getting into the eyes, the microbial flora causes a purulent inflammation of the conjunctiva, and the development of inflammation is manifested by typical clinical symptoms.

By the type of microorganisms that caused the inflammatory process, purulent conjunctivitis can be divided into several types:

• gonococcal;
• staphylococcal;
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Gonococcal conjunctivitis often occurs in newborns on the second or third day after childbirth as a result of infection from a sick mother with gonorrhea.Thanks to modern preventive measures, now this kind of conjunctivitis is not very common.Infection can also occur as a result of the introduction of infection from the genitals to the eyes of the child by the mother. In this case, conjunctivitis becomes very dangerous, as it can lead to severe lesions of the cornea. Absence of treatment can lead to complete blindness.With complete cure, small scars may remain on the conjunctiva.

Since the disease often affects small children, it is necessary to warn young mothers: it is not worth it independently to address to national means or to follow advice or councils of the pharmacist in a drugstore at occurrence of pus The child has. It is necessary to consult a specialist, so that the cure comes as quickly and without complications.

Infection of the child with staphylococcal conjunctivitis occurs by contact: through a handshake, personal hygiene or any other items that the patient has touched.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa enters the eye in the case of microtraumas or in contact with the eye of magpies. As a rule, the disease affects only one eye and very rarely switches to the second.

Causes

Physicians identify several causes that provoke the inflammatory process and cause purulent conjunctivitis in children.These include multiple pathogens: viruses, bacteria, microorganisms. With bacterial etiology, both eyes suffer: the infection first develops on one eye, and after 2-3 days affects the other.

The most dangerous pathogens are Pseudomonas aeruginosa and chlamydia: they are capable of provoking acute conjunctivitis, which affects the cornea beyond recognition.

In pre-school children, conjunctivitis occurs quite often and occurs in a more complex form than in adolescents and adults.This fact is explained very simply: preschool children have not yet learned to observe the rules of personal hygiene.Among children of this age category, the disease is extremely contagious and spreads with extraordinary speed through dirty hands, toys and other things.

The causes of conjunctivitis in infants may be:

• infection during the birth process due to infectious disease of the mother;
• low immunity of the child and infection;
• improper care of the baby.

The onset of the disease in infants is quite harmless: it seems that only a small mote fell into the eye. Some time after infection, signs of inflammation characteristic of conjunctivitis appear.

Symptoms

Signs of purulent conjunctivitis are easily determined:

• redness (congestion) of the eyeballs;
• edema of upper and lower eyelids;
• narrowing of the eye gap;
• lacrimation;
• photophobia;
• withered yellow crusts on the eyelids;
• sticking of eyelashes (in the morning after awakening);
• mucous and purulent branches from the eyes;
• deterioration of sleep and appetite;
• general lethargy and capriciousness.

In severe conditions, the child may develop a severe headache, possibly a sharp increase in body temperature, or even an inflammation of the upper respiratory tract may develop.

When the first symptoms of the disease appear, the child should immediately seek help from an experienced pediatrician.

Diagnostics

The ophthalmologist can simply recognize the purulent conjunctivitis in the external clinical picture.To clarify the diagnosis and identify the cause of the disease, the doctor can prescribe additional laboratory studies of biological secretions from the eyes.

Treatment of purulent conjunctivitis

Whatever the cause of conjunctivitis, it is necessary to begin treatment as soon as possible, otherwise the disease can become chronic. In addition, complications can develop.

As a rule, the oculist appoints a local treatment. Only with severe forms of purulent conjunctivitis is the use of systemic antibiotic therapy.

So. Than to treat a purulent conjunctivitis? The basis of treatment is the daily multiple washing of inflamed eyes with antibacterial solutions (levomycetin, rivanol) or aseptic (a weak solution of manganese permanganate).The doctor can also recommend the use of folk remedies, including chamomile infusion.

An integrated approach involves the use of antibacterial ointments or drops. Ointments are pawned in an affected conjunctiva at night to prolong the antibacterial effect. Treatment should not be discontinued until all manifestations disappear. Otherwise, there is a high probability of complications and relapses.

Doctors say that in recent years the stability of staphylococcal flora has increased to many antibiotics, therefore, antibiotics of the fluoroquinalones group are often prescribed for the treatment of purulent conjunctivitis. For example, it may be,% ointment Ofloxacin. To drugs of this type, resistance is formed rather slowly.For children, prescribing antibiotics for a group of fluoroquinolones is contraindicated, so treatment is carried out with drops of Albucide, Vibact or ophthalmic ointment with Erythromycin.

How to carry out the procedure of treatment?

The treatment procedure should be carried out step by step and very carefully:

1. In the morning, it is necessary to release the child's eyes from purulent contents.To do this, moisten the tampon with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and wipe the outer part of the eyes. Then dilate the baby's eyelids and wash it with a jet of the same solution. For this it is convenient to use a syringe or syringe without a needle. Clear the eyes of the pus is necessary: ​​not a single drop or ointment will not work if there is pus in the eye, because it contains a lot of microorganisms. Eye wash should be done immediately after the child wakes up, and several times during the day.
2. In the affected eyes, drip one drop of levomycetin eye drops.Do not bury more, since only one drop is contained in the conjunctival sac, the remnants will simply flow out of the eye.
3. Inject the drops every hour, and preferably - every half hour.This is important, since strong lachrymation with conjunctivitis leads to the fact that the medicinal substances are washed out very quickly (within 15 minutes) from the conjunctival sac. Do not be afraid of an overdose of levomycetin: it is not absorbed into the systemic bloodstream, but works only locally.
4. If there are purulent discharge, then immediately repeat washing with a solution of manganese.
5. At night, put a tetracycline ointment behind the eyelid.At night, during sleep, with closed eyelids, favorable conditions are created for the reproduction of microorganisms. If you put the baby to sleep during the day, then before bedtime, also put the ointment behind the eyelid. It is better to use drops during the day.
6. After acute manifestations disappear, it is necessary to switch to a sixfold instillation of drops.This is to ensure that the surviving microbes do not begin to multiply and do not lead to a relapse. Treatment should be brought to complete disappearance of signs of the disease and even after that continue it for at least three more days. Otherwise, there is a risk of getting chronic conjunctivitis with antibiotic-resistant microorganisms.

Complications

The most dangerous complication of conjunctivitis, leading to severe consequences with a possible loss of vision, is keratitis.Risk factors for the development of keratitis are:

• prolonged exposure of the eyelids in the closed state;
• wearing soft contact lenses;
• traumatic damage to the corneal epithelium.

In view of the danger of keratitis, preventative topical application of antibiotics is of great importance.

Meningitis can be caused by infectious diseases of the eyes

Preventive measures and advice to parents

An important condition for the speedy recovery of the child is the correct implementation of all the recommendations of the attending physician with observance of the main rules of instillation and washing of the eyes:

• You can not worry and scream at the child if he is afraid to bury his eyes.
• It is necessary to treat and bury both eyes to prevent infection of the second eye.
• Before each procedure, you should thoroughly wash your hands with soap.
• The ointment is placed under the lower eyelid with a clean index finger.
• Rinse your eyes, use clean gauze wipes individually for each eye.
• Wipe away from the outer corner of the eye to the inner corner until the eyelid edge of the eyelid is completely cleansed of pus or mucus.

.

Treatment of macular degeneration of the eye.

How is treatment of dacryocystitis in newborns you learn from this article.

Contraindications to surgery for laser vision correction: http://eyesdocs.ru/medicinaoperacii/lazernaya-korrekciya/metodiki-plyusy-i-minusy.html

.

Video

conclusions

So,Purulent conjunctivitis in children is not so harmless for the child as a disease. Refer to the procedure for treating conjunctivitis in the baby with all responsibility to avoid more serious consequences. For the prevention of the disease, teach the child to observe personal hygiene. With improper or untimely treatment, this disease can progress to more dangerous diseases, such as glaucoma and cataracts.