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Look out for conjunctivitis |
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by pfallerj  (July 2006) (rank 185th) |
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Today's First Time Parenting Tip - Keep an eye on your babies eyes if they start to get "gunky"
My son has had a clogged tear duct since he was born...so his eye has always had a little goop in it that we constantly had to clear
out, use eye drops and do a little duct massage to help it along. Recently though, there's been quite a bit. He wakes up with his eye glued shut, or there's tons of crust all around his eye. My wife took him into the pediatrician and lo! he has conjunctivitis due to the clogged tear duct. Hooray! To fix it, the doctor prescribed some ointment for his eyes. That should be an adventure and a half to put in. Some other symptoms of conjunctivitis are:
- Eye redness
- Swollen, red eyelids
- More tearing than usual
- Feeling as if something is in the eye
- An itching or burning feeling
- Mild sensitivity to light
- Drainage from the eye
Most cases of pinkeye are caused by:
- Infections caused by viruses or bacteria
- Dry eyes from lack of tears or exposure to wind and sun
- Chemicals, fumes, or smoke (chemical conjunctivitis)
- Allergies
Viral conjunctivitis is spreadable, and the only real fix for it is prevention. Things like washing hands and making sure objects aren't shared between lots of kids are orders of the day. The bacterial version is treated by antibiotic, and is less contagious.
