Causes and progression of pink eye in children

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by CKI Doctor Nguyen Thi Bich Nhi - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital

Pink eye in children is not uncommon. The disease usually occurs in places with low, wet living conditions. When a child has pink eye, the mother must take the child to a specialist eye clinic, absolutely do not use methods such as applying leaves to the baby's eyes such as betel, mulberry leaves... or dripping milk into the child's eyes. young eyes.

1. Causes of red eyes in children

Pink eye in children is mainly caused by the Adenovirus virus or by bacteria such as streptococcus, staphylococcus, and pneumococcus. The disease is most common in the hot season, when the seasons change, when it rains a lot, and the weather is humid. At this time, the child's body is tired, the resistance is weak, besides, the environment is smoky, the hygiene is poor, it is easy to cause the disease to break out.
In addition, children often have a habit of rubbing their eyes. When they come into contact with unsanitary objects, then they rub their eyes with their hands, which is also very easy to cause them to have red eyes. If a baby comes into contact with or plays with other children with pink eye, the possibility of infection is also very high. Therefore, parents must regularly pay attention to clean hands and feet for children.
Pinkeye can be spread through:
Direct contact with an infected person. Touching the patient's objects such as door handles, tables and chairs. Sharing personal items with the sick person such as towels, pillows, washbasins. Sharing contaminated water. Sharing water with an infected person, such as in a swimming pool. Or rub your eyes. Crowded places such as hospitals, public places, and schools are easy environments for disease to spread.

2. Progression of pink eye disease in children

The most obvious manifestation of pink eye disease is discharge from the eyes and the whites of the eyes gradually turn red. The baby will have a feeling of discomfort and discomfort, so it is often fussy, when waking up, the gel often sticks to the eyelids. Alum can be yellow or green.
Some cases of conjunctivitis with pseudoconjunctivitis (the clear white membrane under the eyelids) take longer to heal than others. When sick, children also often have symptoms such as low-grade fever, dry cough, lymphadenopathy...
Although pink eye usually resolves after 7-10 days, if not cared for and treated appropriately, the disease can cause illness. can progress more seriously and leave many dangerous complications such as trachoma, chronic conjunctivitis, corneal ulcers, corneal scarring, vision loss, blindness...

3. Experience of taking care of a baby with red eyes

Maintaining hygiene is the best way to prevent pink eye in children and this also helps limit the spread of the disease.
Children with pink eye are often very uncomfortable and fussy, so in order to quickly heal and reduce discomfort for children, parents need:
Wash and dry all baby's items such as blankets and towels. Baby wipes, face wipes and baby wipes should be 3 different towels. If your child is going to school, you should ask him to leave school to avoid the disease spreading into an epidemic. In addition, the baby should be limited to the street to avoid dust and dust into the eyes. Use a cotton ball and physiological saline to wash the baby's eyes daily. Let the baby lie on his side, use salt water to wash the gel in the baby's eyes, then wipe it with cotton. Do not let the glue stick too much on the eyes, it will cause discomfort and itching for the baby. It is advisable to take the gel when wet, avoid letting it dry before taking it, it will cause discomfort and burning pain for the baby. Give your baby more fruits to help him increase his resistance, if he is breast-feeding, breastfeed him as much as possible. Do not let your child be exposed to electronic screens, read books and newspapers to help his eyes rest. Absolutely do not cure red eyes for children by folk methods. Although pink eye is a less dangerous disease, it spreads very quickly, affecting the learning and living process of children. Besides, if the red eye is not treated for a long time, it can cause dangerous complications, affecting vision. Therefore, prevention of pink eye is extremely important.
Patients are still fully contagious 2 3 days before the onset of the disease and 1 week after recovering from the disease. Therefore, the best way to prevent the disease is to thoroughly implement hygiene and isolation measures from sick people.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.