Symptoms of conjunctivitis in children

If an adult suffers from conjunctivitis, it will have a great impact on the adult's physical health, because conjunctivitis will affect a person's normal eye function. Conjunctivitis in children will be much more serious than in adults. This is mainly because children’s immunity is much lower and they do not pay much attention to hand hygiene in their daily lives. What symptoms will children experience when they have conjunctivitis?

What are the symptoms of conjunctivitis in children?

Viruses: If your baby has both conjunctivitis and cold symptoms, the infection is most likely caused by a virus. Viruses are the most common cause of conjunctivitis.

Bacteria: If your baby's eyes have a thick, yellow discharge and his eyelids are swollen or sticking together, it's probably caused by bacteria, such as Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, or Haemophilus.

Allergens: If your baby's eyes look itchy, swollen, watery, and bloodshot, and he has a runny nose, he may be having an allergic reaction to an irritant such as dust, pollen, or smoke. The allergic reaction is not caused by an infection, but if your baby continues to be exposed to that irritant, the eye will remain allergic and may become infected.

What to do if your child has conjunctivitis

Viral conjunctivitis

Viral conjunctivitis usually heals on its own in about a week. Your doctor will advise you to gently wash your baby's eyes with warm water, wipe away any dried secretions, and keep the area around your baby's eyes clean. If your baby's eye doesn't get better after 2 weeks, take him to see a doctor again.

Bacterial conjunctivitis

If bacteria are the culprit, your doctor will prescribe antibacterial eye ointment or eye drops for about 7 days. You may find eye ointment easier to use than eye drops. The specific method is: wash your hands, gently pull open your baby's lower eyelid a little, and squeeze out a small amount of ointment along the eyelid. Because the ointment will fall off automatically once you squeeze it, so you just need to squeeze it to the right place. If the baby blinks, the ointment will get into his eyes.

If you are using eye drops, you should put them in the inner corner of your baby's eye. This may be easiest to do with your baby's eyes closed. When he opens his eyes, the medicine will flow into his eyes.

Wash your hands before and after applying medication to your baby's eyes. Never share medicines with other people, and never reuse previously used lotions or ointments. The previous medicine may have been contaminated during use, and using it again may make the infection worse.

Note that even if your baby's symptoms have disappeared, you still need to continue taking the medication within the course of treatment specified by the doctor. Otherwise, the infection may recur.

After reading this article, I believe that you all have a better understanding of the symptoms of conjunctivitis in children! If your baby has such a situation, you must take timely measures! In addition, this article also introduces what to do if a child has conjunctivitis. I hope it can help you.