Some Common Eye Issues with Children: Sydney Eye Clinic

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We have taken due diligence to publish articles such as this to help you live a healthy life. Our Personal Eye doctors are professionals who create a medium for eye health through laser vision correction, various laser treatments and surgeries in New South Wales and the rest of Australia. 

Eye patients have been choosing eye drops, intravitreal injections, and surgeries such as pterygium surgery, LASIK surgery, and other latest technology for their eye conditions. we hope that you will find this post about home techniques to manage itchy eyes, which was written by our refractive surgeons, resourceful.

Ocular Injuries in Children

Ocular Injuries

Young children, especially those who are still developing motor skills, are especially vulnerable to eye injuries and trauma. Getting something stuck in one’s eye is one common cause of eye injury (known as a foreign body). Injuries to the head and face can also be caused by falling down or off of something, by engaging in physical activity, or by being struck by a projectile toy.

Children’s eyes are especially vulnerable to the pellets and BBs released by Nerf guns and other similar toys. Injuries to the eyes can cause significant anguish in children. Any damage to the cornea, the transparent front layer of the eye, can cause excruciating discomfort in youngsters. Find out how the eye functions.

Harm from Chemicals

Many common home and gardening chemicals can cause serious harm if swallowed or inhaled, so it’s crucial to store them safely out of children’s reach. Cleansing sprays, detergents, and bleaches are a few examples. The eyes should be rinsed under running water for 15-30 minutes if your child receives a chemical splash in them.

Chemicals Harm

Younger children may need to have water splashed into their eyes from cups to get them through this. Instead, you may put them in the shower and use a warm washcloth to gently clean their eyes. This facilitates the entry of water into the eye, which helps remove the toxin.

After the eyes have been rinsed out, you should take your kid to a pediatric ophthalmologist or the nearest eye emergency clinic for further evaluation. If your child’s eyes are still irritated or red and teary, this is crucial.

Ophthalmologists employ numbing eye drops to make your kid more comfortable and to improve their visibility when examining the internal tissues of the eye. We may need to administer eye drops to your kid in order to promote healing.

The key to preventing serious damage in a chemical accident is a rapid, thorough washing of the eyes followed by an early assessment by a pediatric ophthalmologist.

Put a cold compress on your child’s eye right away if he or she has suffered a blow to the face or eye. Cover the ice pack with a washcloth, t-shirt, or sock to prevent the cold from damaging your skin, especially around your eyes. 

You can keep the compress on for up to 10 minutes at a time, with intervals of up to 10 minutes in between. In the event that your kid exhibits any of the following symptoms, it is imperative that you seek medical attention if their eye redness is becoming worse, their eyesight has changed, a projectile was involved, or they’re in agony.

Abraded Corneas

Corneal abrasions caused by fingernails, toys, or foreign bodies are very frequent. If you suspect that you have an abrasion, you may easily check for its existence using a fluorescein strip. Fortunately, they tend to be minor and clear up on their own within a week or so. 

Your kid should still be examined by a doctor, since certain abrasions require the application of a topical treatment or, in rare cases, an eye patch to speed up the healing process.

Younger children are unable to provide precise descriptions of their symptoms, which may include significant alterations to their eyesight. Even if you think your child’s eye damage is minor, it’s best to have a pediatric ophthalmologist have a look at them as soon as possible.

External Objects

Glitter, sand, dirt, and even eyelashes can all become stuck in a child’s eye and cause serious irritation. To check for foreign bodies, gently hold open your child’s eyelids (using clean hands) and look in their eye. In order to locate the offending foreign body, have your youngster gaze in all directions. And you can make them blink repeatedly.

This may be all that’s needed to shift a little foreign body towards the inner corner of the eye, where the child’s tears, sterile saline, or water may easily drain it out. As soon as possible, begin to flush the eye with running water.

Try to remember to check every five minutes to see whether the thing has emerged. If it persists after 30 minutes of flushing, if the person reports a change in vision, if they are in pain, if they refuse to open their eye, or if you are afraid, you should seek immediate medical attention. Try not to use your fingers, a cotton swab, or tweezers to remove the item, as you might end up hurting yourself.

If the object has entered the eye, medical assistance should be sought immediately. Don’t try taking it off, and don’t let your kid touch his eye.

Conjunctivitis in Children

Conjunctivitis is a common ailment affecting the eyes of both children and adults and can cause significant discomfort and irritation. Inflammation of the conjunctiva, often known as conjunctivitis (the transparent, blood vessel–rich layer covering the white part of the eye). When the eye is inflamed, the blood vessels grow enlarged and more visible, giving the appearance of redness or pinkness.

Thus, the common name is “pink eye” for conjunctivitis. Most cases of conjunctivitis in children are caused by viruses, although allergies and bacteria can also play a role. 6 Without a microscope, identifying the specific kind of conjunctivitis is very impossible. A pediatric ophthalmologist should be consulted if there are any suspicions.

Conjunctivitis

Conjunctivitis Allergica

Children are more susceptible to developing allergic conjunctivitis in the spring, though it can strike at any time. If your kid also has itching, hay fever, or asthma, this might be the root cause of his or her red eye. If your child’s symptoms persist despite therapy from a general practitioner, optometrist, or over-the-counter medication, it is crucial to have a pediatric ophthalmologist evaluate the situation.

If your child’s vision or regular routines are affected, this is crucial information to have. In most situations, we just need to prescribe an eye drop treatment that lasts for a few weeks. When used as directed, steroid drops pose no health risks. Those with a history of allergies may develop a serious eye illness. Lucky for them, there is a wide selection of therapy options to choose from.

Virus-caused Conjunctivitis

Viral conjunctivitis is a common childhood illness that can affect kids at any time of the year. When you have viral conjunctivitis, you can also have other flu-like symptoms, such as a cough, a runny nose, or sneezing.

Most cases will resolve themselves, but there are things you can do to help your kid feel better in the meanwhile. Regularly cleaning the surface of the eyelids from the inside out with a heated (but not burning) wet face towel is one such practice.

As a result, the eyelashes are cleansed of any dust or flakes, and the accumulation of mucus is lessened. If the eyes are irritated due to inflammation, applying heat may help lessen the swelling. Before touching your child’s face, make sure your hands are clean.

A doctor of general medicine or an optometrist can treat viral conjunctivitis in the vast majority of patients. If your child’s red eye, watery eye, or mucus discharge lasts more than two weeks or if he or she is having trouble seeing, you should take him or her to an ophthalmologist. The infection can cause visual distortion, necessitating the use of steroid eye drops in certain people.

Bacteria Caused Conjunctivitis.

In children, bacterial conjunctivitis can be caused by any bacterium that gets into the eye. In comparison to other forms of conjunctivitis, your child’s mucus may be thicker and yellower with this condition. To get rid of the germs, you need to use antibiotic drops or ointment.

Maintaining good eyelid hygiene may make a huge difference in your child’s level of comfort. Depending on the severity of conjunctivitis and any accompanying eye issues, medication tablets may be required for treatment.

Lastly

If you are having any questions or inquiries about eyes treatment options, laser eye correction,  contact lenses, refractive error, eye diseases or how to have correct vision, cataract surgery, Laser eye surgery, laser vision correction, diabetic retinopathy, minimally invasive glaucoma surgery, normally clear lens, vision loss, retinal conditions, short-sightedness, you should get in touch with us via our Personal Eye website to book your free assessment today.

Consider the factors outlined in this blog post, weigh the pros and cons, and most importantly, consult with a Sydney cataract surgeon at Personal Eyes before making the final decision.