Kids and Health Care: Conjunctivitis
If you get through childhood without a bout of conjunctivitis, consider yourself lucky. It's a very common infection...especially in children. The conjunctiva is a thin, transparent membrane that lines your eyeball and your eyelid. When it becomes inflamed for various reasons, the result -- conjunctivitis -- is a painful infection that usually clears up in a few days.
It's caused by a bacterial or viral infection, chemical exposure, or by an allergic reaction to pollen, smoke or other material that irritates the eyes. Children sometimes contract conjunctivitis after a cold or a sore throat.
And it can be highly contagious (known to spread rapidly in schools or daycare settings). But it's rarely serious and will not damage a child's vision if detected and treated promptly.
Ophthalmia neonatorum is an acute form of conjunctivitis in newborn babies. It must be treated immediately by a doctor to prevent permanent eye damage or blindness.
Generally, at-home remedies can alleviate conjunctivitis associated with uncomplicated colds, minor infections or allergies. Treatment consists primarily of cleansing the eyes and preventing the condition from spreading. If your child has a severe bacterial infection, antibiotics for the eyes -- prescribed by an ophthalmologist -- will clear up the conjunctivitis within a few days.
Key to managing conjunctivitis is preventing its spread. The follow is a list of things to keep in mind:
- Wash your hands often and well. Make your children do the same.
- Keep your hands away from the infected eyes. This means telling your children to avoid contact with their eyes.
- Make sure your child does not share washcloths, towels, pillowcases or handkerchiefs with others.
- Wash your children's washcloths, towels, and pillowcases frequently (after each use).
- Keep children with pinkeye out of school for a few days.
