Conjunctivitis in newborns

This infection usually occurs when babies are born a few days, the incidence is quite high. This is a serious disease that can cause blindness, early detection for active treatment with antibiotics.

The cause of the disease

Eyelid conjunctivitis (Photo: Ykhoanet)

usually children get infection from the genital tract of their mothers when they are born (most commonly due to gonorrhea, chlamydia); or infection from the womb (often in cases of premature amniotomy). The disease can also be transmitted through medical equipment (this is a rare cause) or because parents and caregivers are not clean during child care and hygiene.

Symptoms of neonatal conjunctivitis are swollen, red eyelashes, and there are many cases of swollen eyelids that make it difficult for children to open their eyes, not even open their eyes.

The eyes are bright red, with lots of tears, attached to the pins, some severe cases have many pus. The disease is usually on both sides, rarely one eye before then spreading to the other eye. Because the disease occurs in the first 2-3 days after birth, it is acute so it has little effect on the child's vision (vision); but if not treated positively, promptly can affect eyesight, even lead to blindness.

Therefore, neonatal conjunctivitis should be treated immediately with antibiotic solutions, such as tobrex, loxone, tetracyclin, gentamycine, etc., 4-6 times a day. Cases of gonorrhea conjunctivitis use penicillin solution 2 times a day. In severe cases, the number of visits can be 10 times a day, to clean the eyes regularly with physiological saline 90% for clean eyes at the eyes, 4-6 times a day. If you do not support, you must transfer to a higher specialized route to find the cause of treatment to be complete (preferably using the medication as directed by the ophthalmologist).

Due to the thin, sensitive skin and conjunctiva of the newborn, when cleaning baby's eye hygiene, be very gentle, avoid causing seizures.

In order to prevent neonatal conjunctivitis, the child must immediately examine once in the 1% tetracycline lipid or 1% silver nitrate eye. It is also possible to examine the eye with one of the chloramphenicol solutions of 0.4%, argyrol 1% or 3% in the eyes twice a day for the first 3 days after birth (Crédé's prevention method).

Women who are suffering from dermatology should not become pregnant but must cure the disease first.