Why does a child’s eyes turn red – when to see a doctor?

An attentive, caring mother will always notice even the smallest changes in the behavior and condition of her child. And the redness of the eyes – and even more so.

What does a symptom such as redness of the eyes of a baby say about, and do I need to see a doctor? The pediatrician will tell you.

The content of the article:

Redness of the eyes in a child – causes

The first thought of every second mother who finds out in her child redness of the eyes – hide away the computer with the TV, drip eye drops and put tea bags on the eyelids.

Undoubtedly, excessive eye strain is one of the reasons for their redness, but besides her, there may be others, more serious. Therefore, timely diagnosis is the best mother’s decision.

Causes of eye redness in children:

• Eye irritation due to fatigue, overwork, overexertion…
• Eye trauma.
• Foreign body in the eye dirt or infection.
• Blockage of the lacrimal canal (more common in infants).
• Conjunctivitis (the reason is bacteria, infections, chlamydia, viruses).
• Allergic conjunctivitis (to dust, pollen or other allergens). The main symptoms are eyelids stuck together in the morning, tearing, the presence of yellow crusts on the eyelids.
• Uveitis (inflammation in the choroid). The consequences of an untreated disease are visual impairment up to blindness.
• Blepharitis (defeat of the meibomian glands in the thickness of the eyelids or the ciliary edge of the eyelids). Diagnostics – exclusively by a doctor. The treatment is complex.
• Glaucoma (the nature of the disease is increased intraocular pressure). Can lead to blindness if untreated. The main symptoms are blurred vision, headache attacks with decreased vision, the appearance of rainbow circles around light sources. Also, glaucoma is dangerous because it can be one of the symptoms of even more serious diseases.
• Vitamin deficiency, anemia or diabetes mellitus – with prolonged redness of the eyes.

Red whites of the eyes in a child – when to see a doctor?

You should not postpone a visit to an ophthalmologist in any case. – it’s better to make sure once again that the baby is healthy than to miss something serious.

See your doctor immediately if:

• If home “treatment” with folk “lotions and poultices” from computer and TV fatigue does not help. That is, the drops were dripped, the tea bags were attached, the computer was hidden, the sleep was full, and the redness of the eyes did not go away.
• Redness of the eyes has been on for a very long time and no means help.
• There is lacrimation, discharge of pus, crusts on the eyelids, photophobia.
• Do not open your eyes in the morning – you have to rinse for a long time.
• In the eyes there is a sensation of a foreign body, burning sensation, pain.
• Eyesight deteriorated sharply.
• There is “double vision” in the eyes, “Flies”, blurred vision or “like rain on glass”, the “picture” is blurred, “focusing” is lost.
• Eyes get tired very quickly.

First of all, of course, you should go to an ophthalmologist – only he will establish the cause and help cope with the disease, because timely diagnosis is half the success in the treatment of eye diseases…

But at the same time without fail we eliminate all factors provoking redness of the eyes – Restrict or remove TV and a computer until the cause is clarified, control the changes in lighting, do not read in the dark and while lying down, drink vitamins, make sure that sleep is full at night.

Bologny warns: self-medication can harm your health! The diagnosis should be made only by a doctor after an examination. Therefore, if you find symptoms, be sure to contact a specialist!