When the baby's eyes are producing a lot of water and are watering a lot, this can be a sign of conjunctivitis. Here's how to identify and treat conjunctivitis in your baby.
This disease can be suspected especially if the rash is yellowish and thicker than normal, which can leave even the eyes glued. In this case it is very important to take the baby to the pediatrician so that he can see the baby and evaluate what it can be.
In the newborn baby, it is normal for the eyes to always be dirtier than in the adults, and therefore, if the newborn has a lot of secretion in the eyes, but it is always light and fluid in color, there is no reason for concern, as it is normal.
Main causes of overeating
In addition to conjunctivitis, which can be viral or bacterial, other possible causes of the eyes swelling and watering in the baby, can be:
- Flu or cold: In this case, the treatment consists of keeping the baby's eyes properly clean and strengthening the immune system with orange lime juice. As the disease is cured, the baby's eyes stop getting so dirty. Obstructed tear duct, which affects the newborn, but tends to resolve on its own up to 1 year of age: In this case, the treatment consists of cleaning the eyes with saline and making a small massage by pressing the inner corner of the eyes with the finger; but in the most severe cases you may need to have minor surgery.
Watery eyes on the baby can also occur when the baby accidentally rubs the nail in the eye, leaving the eyes irritated. In this case, just clean the baby's eyes with saline or boiled water.
What to do to clean baby's eyes
In the day-to-day, during the bath, you should use a little warm water on the baby's face, without putting any type of soap to avoid burning the eyes, but to clean the baby's eyes properly, without the risk of aggravating the situation, in case of conjunctivitis, for example, is due to:
- Wet a sterile gauze or compress with saline or freshly made chamomile tea, but almost cold; Pass the compress or gauze through one eye at a time, out of the corner of the eye, so as not to clog the tear duct, as shows the image above.
Another important precaution is to always use a gauze for each eye, and you should not clean the baby's two eyes with the same gauze. It is advisable to clean the baby's eyes in this way until he is 1 year old, even if he is not sick.
In addition to keeping the baby's eyes always clean, it is also important to keep the nose always clean and free of secretions because the tear duct can become clogged when the nose is blocked, and this also favors the proliferation of viruses or bacteria. To clean the baby's nose, it is advisable to clean the outer part with a thin cotton swab dipped in saline and then use a nasal aspirator to completely eliminate any dirt or secretions.
When to go to the ophthalmologist
The baby should be taken to the ophthalmologist if he / she presents yellowish and thick padding, being necessary to clean the baby's or child's eyes more than 3 times a day. If the baby wakes up with a lot of eyes and has difficulty opening the eyes because the lashes are stuck together, the baby should be taken to the doctor immediately because it may be conjunctivitis, requiring the use of medications.
You should also take your baby to the ophthalmologist if he has a lot of rash, even if it is light in color, and you need to clean your eyes more than 3 times a day, because it may indicate that the tear duct is clogged.
