Baby

A Quick Peek at eye Problems
Dr. Brown takes a close look at some common newborn eye troubles.

Q. My 9-month-old has goop draining from his eyes and has a cold. Does he have pink eye?
Probably.

When the eye goop is accompanied by other symptoms (runny nose, cough, fever), it’s more likely to be an infection called conjunctivitis or pink eye.

Conjunctivitis can be caused by either a virus or bac-teria. Bacterial infections cause goopy eye discharge and viral infections cause watery eye discharge. Both are extremely contagious. Bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotic eye drops and/or oral antibi-otics. Viruses cannot be treated and can last up to a week.

Children under age 2 years with bacterial conjuncti-vitis (goop) should see a doctor. About 30% of these cases have an ear infection or sinus infection to go along with it. The bug is usually Haemophilus influ-enza non-typable (a cousin of the HIB we vaccinate against). This is a smart bug often resistant to first line antibiotics.

Bottom line: A child under age 2 with goopy eyes needs to be seen by a doctor. There is an association of pink eye with ear infections and sinus infections.

Q. My baby’s eye is tearing constantly today. What is wrong?
Probably a corneal abrasion.

Babies can scratch their eyes accidentally. This is a superficial scratch that takes a day or two to heal. Foreign bodies (dust, etc.) can also cause similar symptoms. Doctors check for abrasions using a purple light and fluorescein dye. If a scratch is found, antibiotic eye drops are prescribed. If a foreign body is found, it can be flushed out.

What the doctor will ask you about RED EYES:
1. How old is your baby?
2. Is there eye discharge? Is it watery or goopy?
3. Is there fever, runny nose or fussiness?
4. If the eyelid is swollen, is there any bug bite or rash visible? Any fever?

Priority 1:
Needs immediate evaluation and treatment:
• Eyelid swollen shut with fever.
• Question of foreign body in the eye.
• Very uncomfortable child with a red eye.

Priority 2:
Needs appointment the next day.
• Goopy eyes with a cold, with or without fever

Priority 3:
Watch and wait. Needs appointment if there is no improvement or worsening of symptoms:
• Newborn with eye that waters frequently, without redness.