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Goopy Eyes In Children: Causes And Treatment

You may observe a green or yellow discharge from your eyes on some days after waking up in the morning. The condition is defined as goopy eyes, or simply called eye discharge. The discharge could either have a liquid-like or a crusty consistency. Although eye discharge isn’t serious, it often acts as a signal of the presence of an infection. It is important to seek medical help, especially if your little ones are suffering from it. Delaying consultation could run the risk of complications such as conjunctivitis, dry eyes, blocked tear duct and corneal ulcer.

Goopy eyes in children: Causes and treatment

Causes of goopy eyes in children:

There are several eye conditions that produce eye discharge as signs of a primary symptom in children. Some of these eye conditions include:

  • Conjunctivitis

It’s common for both adults and children to experience eye discharge as a symptom of conjunctivitis. There are two types of conjunctivitis; bacterial and viral, the former generates a sticky and thick discharge, whereas the latter causes a watery discharge.

In most cases, eye discharge occurs in conjunction with other symptoms of the eye condition, including a burning sensation in the eyes, itchiness, and bloodshot appearances.

  • Blocked tear duct

The blocked tear duct is another eye condition causing eye discharge as a symptom in children. In most cases, the tear ducts do not develop fully. As such, tears do not drain as they normally should.

Tumour growth anywhere in the tear drainage system can lead to a blockage. Another reason for the tear duct to face obstruction is scarring of the drainage system. Inflammation of the tear drainage system could also lead to tear duct blockage.

  • Gonorrhoea

Infants who contract gonorrhoea from their mothers can develop eye discharges. Gonorrhoea is a sexually transmitted disease (STD). If left untreated, the infection can lead to serious complications such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), and infection of the uterus and fallopian tubes.

Treatment of goopy eyes

In order to treat eye discharge in children, it is important to address the underlying cause with a suitable chart of treatment. Eye infection is the most common cause of eye discharge in children. One of the pediatric eye care specialists at Disha Eye Hospitals can guide you in getting a thorough diagnosis of the eye infection, and prescribe necessary medicines such as ointments, antiviral eye drops and antibiotics. In case of an eye allergy, the doctor may prescribe decongestants and antihistamine eye drops.

Here are some simple solutions to follow at home if eye discharges are found in children:

  • If your child’s eyelids are stuck together, gently wipe the discharge with a warm compress
  • In the case of conjunctivitis, instruct your child to avoid touching the infected eye
  • If your child has an eye allergy, make sure to keep the irritable elements away.
  • Avoid giving over the counter (OTC) eye medicines that are not prescribed by an eye doctor

Visit Disha Eye Hospitals for quality eye care

Disha Eye Hospitals offer advanced diagnostics and treatment for different types of eye complications. As a leading eye hospital group, the team of doctors consists of the best retina specialists in Kolkata. Additionally, the hospital offers treatment for paediatric eye conditions like squint. Consult one of the best eye specialists in Kolkata at Disha and get your child’s symptoms checked at your closest centre. Book an appointment online at http://www.dishaeye.org/organic/.

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If Your Child Has Squint, Then Read These 5 Useful Insights

If Your Child Has Squint, Then Read These 5 Useful Insights

Squint, also called as Strabismus, can occur at any age, but is particularly common in young children. Squint can be temporary i.e. it may come and go, or persist (be permanent). These 5 insights can help you confirm the occurrence of squint in your child, choose proper treatment, and lower the risks of further complications:

1. Ensuring annual eye check-up of your child:

As a concerned parent, your first responsibility is to ensure that you take your child to the eye doctor every year for a comprehensive eye checkup. Doing this will help you identify the early symptoms of squint as well as other eye complications common in young children.

You can bring your child to our eye specialists at Disha Eye Hospital, one of the leading eye hospitals in West Bengal, for a complete eye exam. Our team of eye doctors uses the latest technologies and equipment for ensuring precise diagnosis.

2. Tips to identify whether your child has squint:

Identifying squint in your child is relatively easy. The first step is to take a closer look at your child’s eye; if the eye balls are deviated from each other at all times or when trying to focus on an object, it could indicate the presence of the eye condition.

Another sign to watch out for is whether your child is tilting his/her head to one side when doing everyday tasks or not. As squint can cause double vision, your child might try to close his/her eyes to correct vision.

3. Causes of squint in children:

There are several causes of squint. In children, the eye condition can be the result of the eye attempting to correct vision problems (refractive errors) such as far sightedness (hyperopia), near sightedness (myopia), and astigmatism (uneven curvature of the front part of the eyes).

In some cases, squint in childhood can be a symptom of retinoblastoma, a rare type of childhood eye cancer. Other rare causes of squint in children include developmental delays, genetic syndromes or conditions, and certain infections.

4. Complications of squint:

One of the biggest myths about squint in childhood is that children can grow out of the eye condition. This conventional belief is discarded by eye doctors and parents. Make sure not to believe in such myths and instead start early treatment upon diagnosis of the eye condition.

Failing to address the eye condition with proper treatment can increase the risks of lazy eye. Lazy eye is when the brain stops accepting signals coming from the affected eye. Other complications of squint in younger children include double vision, vision impairment, and low self-esteem.

5. When to get medical advice?

This is one of the common questions concerning parents. It’s crucial to seek medical attention if your child is only three months or older and has a temporary squint. Also, seek immediate medical advice if you notice changes (even the most subtle ones) in the eye alignment and vision of your child. To identify vision changes, watch whether your child sits near to the screen while watching TV or brings books closer to the eyes while reading/studying.

For proper diagnosis and treatment of squint, consult with our eye care experts

From ensuring precise diagnosis to planning and choosing the right treatment option(s) such as patching of the healthy (unaffected) eye to force the use of the weak (affected) eye, our eye care specialists can help you effectively correct your child’s squint. Learn more about our paediatric squint treatment in Kolkata at http://www.dishaeye.org/content/paediatric-squint.