Barley on the child's eye: treatment and prevention

Barley is one of the most common ophthalmic diseases that develops more often in young children. The course of the disease is often complicated by insufficient hygiene of the child, as well as treatment of the disease by people's methods, rather than traditional medicines. In most cases, barley dissolves on its own within a week, but what if there are complications or a relapse of the disease?

Definition of disease

Barley or gordoleum is an acute inflammatory disease that develops due to infection of the eye with pathogenic bacteria, usually staphylococcus or streptococcus.Inflammation is localized in the hair follicle or sebaceous glands of the visual apparatus. In rare cases, the pathological process develops in the meibomian gland, with the formation of internal barley.The mechanism of disease development has been studied in detail and effective methods of treatment have been developed.

There are internal and external barley

Inflammation does not begin immediately, the disease has a peculiar incubation period, which can last several weeks.At this time, the bacteria actively multiply, and the products of their vital activity block the passage of the sebaceous gland and lead to the appearance of a characteristic neoplasm, filled with pus.A purulent sac can dissolve independently, but if this does not happen, it is necessary to resort to the help of specialists.

Almost always only one eye is affected, and in the absence of any treatment the disease also passes to the second eyelid.

Causes

Infection always occurs after the introduction of a bacterial strain onto the conjunctiva of the eye.This can occur during the game, after contact of the hands with the mucous membrane. It is believed that Staphylococcus aureus is a common bacterium, but infection does not occur in all cases. There are a number of factors that can trigger the onset of illness in a child:

• Prolonged hypothermia. Prolonged exposure to cold air or water significantly reduces the defenses of the body and increases the risk of infection with pathogens;
• Reduced immunity. In children, immunity is strikingly different from adults. The process of development of this system takes a long time, in addition, its own defenses are regularly lowered during typical childhood diseases. At such times, the body is not able to cope with even a small bacterial threat;
• Systemic diseases. According to statistics, barley often develops against a background of certain functional diseases that affect the functioning of the circulatory, digestive and hormonal systems of the body. So, gordelum often occurs with diabetes, as well as with gastritis of any form;
• Bacterial diseases in other family members. Almost all strains of cocci spread with great speed from person to person. The risk of infection increases many times, if one of the parents has a bacterial disease, and the interaction within the family is not limited;
• Non-compliance with personal hygiene rules. It is known that barley, like some forms of conjunctivitis, is a disease of "dirty hands". Children rarely wash their hands after playing outside, interacting with public objects and visiting the toilet. The onset of the disease can be triggered by the usual contact of the unwashed hand and eye.

It is noted that barley is more often diagnosed in children suffering from avitaminosis. The lack of essential vitamins, especially in spring and autumn, greatly reduces the resistance to many infectious diseases.

Main symptoms

Almost always only one eye is affected at first, but in the presence of provoking factors, as well as in the absence of competent treatment, the inflammatory process passes to the second eyelid. There are several characteristic signs of the onset of the disease:

• The occurrence of itching, burning and other unpleasant sensations during blinking, as well as when touching the eyelid. Similar signs increase with the development of the disease;
• In the upper or lower eyelid there is a slight swelling and swelling. Almost always this is accompanied by reddening of the skin;
• Barley is always accompanied by general weakness, decreased appetite and subfebrile body temperature.

Within 3 days on the surface of the eyelid there is a small vial filled with purulent fluid.This neoplasm is actively growing for several days and gives unpleasant sensations to the child. Many parents are concerned about the question whether infectious barley is on the eye of a child? No, barley is not contagious, and as a rule, within a week barley itself dissolves, while pus is released directly to the mucous surface of the eye or nearby skin.A week later, swelling and redness.

In children the rupture of the purulent vesicle occurs much faster because they often rub their eyes with their hands and can not control this process.

Treatment of the disease is necessary, from the very beginning of the disease. But the doctor's consultation is especially important during the breakthrough of barley, and also in the situation when the bubble rupture has not occurred on its own.

Possible complications

It is believed that barley is not a danger to human health. However, when a child develops a disease, control of the disease is simply necessary, as children often provoke an early abscess rupture, which can lead to the development of complications. Barley in children is most dangerous in several situations:

• The emergence of "cold barley."So they call several similar to gordeolum diseases - cyst of the century and halyazion. They have a similar clinical picture, but the difference between these ailments is that the formation on the eyelid is dense to the touch and does not dissolve on its own;
• Mechanical opening of barley. This can lead to the release of purulent discharge on the surface of the mucous membrane of the eye, causing a strong infectious infection;
• Barley in chronic form. In rare cases, the disease has a chronic form, which may be due to weak immunity of the child or the presence of a systemic bacterial disease. All this leads to the appearance of inflammatory processes on the eyelid with the slightest supercooling of the child.

If you start the development of the disease and allow the release of a purulent infiltrate on the surface of the eye, there is the probability of development of complex inflammatory diseases - purulent meningitis, inflammation of the orbit and septicemia.Often, neglected chronic barley leads to problems with the blood vessels of the visual apparatus - thrombosis of the cavernous sinus and thrombophlebitis of the orbital veins.

Features of treatment

Usually, conservative therapy is prescribed, which is especially effective if it was started in the early stages of the disease.Until an abscess is formed, it is recommended to treat the inflamed surface with a cotton disc or a napkin moistened with iodine or medical alcohol. However, care should be taken not to let the substance enter the mucous membrane of the eyes.

If the formation of barley for a century still could not be stopped, then it is not recommended to open it mechanically.In this case, anti-inflammatory drops are prescribed, for example, Albucid. In addition, often prescribed drugs containing antibiotic - levomitsetin or tobramycin (Tobrex or Tsiprolet). The choice of medication and dosage should be performed only by the doctor on the basis of the clinical picture and the characteristics of the child's response to antibiotics.

Levomechitin is used in the treatment of barley

For the treatment of barley on the eye in children, ointments are less common, because their use is more difficult for children - they are less plodding and often remove the medicine with their hands.The lining of ointments in barley can be carried out only for quiet children.The most effective drugs are the new generation antibiotic in the composition.These are various derivatives of tetracycline, erythromycin, in rare cases, hormones based on hydrocortisone are used.

Ointment Hydrocortisone is used in the treatment of barley

To accelerate the process of ripening and resorption of barley, UHF therapy and warming are assisted by a warming compress. Such methods can be used only with the permission of the doctor, since in some situations the heating of the purulent vesicle can lead only to complications.

Pathogen is a pathogenic microorganism that reacts only to the effects of modern antibiotics, so it is not worth it. use folk remedies that are not only completely useless for the treatment of bacterial infections, but can also exacerbate course of the disease.

Prevention

It is believed that preventive measures can not only prevent the development of the disease, but also reduce the risk of recurrences and complications. There are several rules that help to avoid barley in a child:

• Compliance with the rules of personal hygiene - regular washing of hands, refusal to use other's handkerchiefs and towels, as well as daily washing of the eyes;
• Avoiding situations of hypothermia and timely help if the child has been in a cold room or on the street for a long time;
• Increase of immunity in the period of vitamin deficiency and epidemics of colds;
• Timely and competent treatment of respiratory and functional diseases in the child;
• When barley appears, contact with the eyes must be limited. If something has got into the eye, the foreign body needs to be removed with a clean cloth or a kerchief, use moisturizing drops;
• Categorically, it is impossible to open the abscess yourself. With abundant allocation of pus, you need to rinse your eyes in time and remove the infiltrate with a clean disposable napkin;
• Do not use medication without a doctor's prescription. Children often have an individual intolerance to the antibiotic, which can cause a severe complication.

Such preventive measures significantly reduce the risk of infection of the eye by pathogenic bacteria, but if the barley still appeared, you need to turn to a specialist in a timely manner, preferably in the early stages disease.

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conclusions

Barley on the child's eye is a common problem that many parents face. It is important to understand that the disease is of an infectious nature, so folk methods of treatment do not help to get rid of infection with pathogenic bacteria. Competent and timely medication is an important condition not only for a speedy recovery, but also for reducing the risk of serious complications.