Like adults, babies sometimes rub their eyes when an insect or sand slips under their eyelid. But he has a very fragile vision that must be respected! What attitude to adopt to relieve it? The answers of Dr Christine Magendie, pediatrician.
Tears, burning, stinging and blurry vision: we have all experienced the unpleasant sensation associated with the presence of a foreign body in our eyes. Baby can unfortunately be affected too! How to make the intruder in question disappear without damaging his eyes? The answers of Dr Christine Magendie, pediatrician.
Do babies often have foreign bodies in their eyes?
Infants are less confronted with this problem, perhaps also because the surface of their eyes is reduced.. ” In general, when something approaches the eye, we have the reflex, called palpebral reflex, to close the eyelid which babies do too. Small babies very rarely have a foreign body in their eye. It becomes more common when they start to be more active and play on the floor“, explains Dr. Christine Magendie, pediatrician and member of the AFPA (French Association of Ambulatory Pediatrics).Parents sometimes worry when they see a veil over their babies’ eyes. But it is often due to an immaturity of the drainage mechanism of the eye which does not yet work perfectly. “, adds Dr. Magendie.
“Often, you don’t even need to intervene and the dirt comes out on its own. Otherwise, the eye should be gently rinsed with saline, the composition of which approaches that of tears and which is the least irritating to the eye. The child should also be prevented from rubbing their eyes as this could cause damage to the cornea. The eyelid can be gently pulled down to help push out the foreign body in question. “, advises Dr. Magendie.
What not to do or use?
Again, keep in mind that baby’s eye is very fragile and proceed with caution. “It is important not to make gestures that could make things worse and injure the cornea or the conjunctiva “, explains Dr. Magendie.”If liquid products are splashed into the eye, some may cause corneal damage. It is then necessary to dilute well, again using physiological saline and call 15 by giving information on the product in question, especially if the child cries a lot and does not want to open his eyes “, she adds
Baby always has watery eyes: why and what to do?
The main lacrimal gland produces, as its name suggests, tears and the Meibomian glands produce fats which stabilize the tear film to keep the surface of the eye moist.. “ It is this system that eliminates microscopic dust through the nose and this is the reason why we have a runny nose when we cry a lot! However, this flow system through the nose is sometimes not yet optimal in certain babies, which can cause watery eyes. We can then advise parents to make a small massage of the inner corner of the eye after washing your hands thoroughly. But you still have to talk to your doctor about it because the tearing can have other causes such as a glaucoma for example. The eye is a very important and very sensitive organ”, says Dr. Magendie.
Are eye injuries common in babies?
They are quite rare, always because of our palpebral reflex. ” It happens from time to time. Injury to the cornea causes severe pain and the child does not want to open his eyes. Of the viral infections can also be painful and cause the eye to close due to pain and hyper-sensitivity to light. In this case, you must quickly consult your general practitioner or pediatrician who will refer you urgently to an ophthalmologist if necessary.“, explains Dr. Magendie.