Do you find your baby eyes are watering and has some discharge? Do you find sticky, yellowish discharge at the corner of your baby’s eyes? Don’t get stress while seeing it in babies. It is quite normal among the babies.
This may be due to sticky eyes in newborn.Sticky eye is the result of a blocked tear duct.As you notice newborn babies may have a white or yellow discharge at the inner corners of their eyes.
In this article you will get the brief information about the cause,sign and symptoms and the treatment of sticky eyes in babies. So just go through the article.
What Is Sticky Eyes?
Sticky eye (R) is the result of a blocked tear duct, where you’ll observe newborn babies may have a white or yellow discharge at the inner corners of their eyes. It looks like crusty or flaky, especially after sleeping.
Sticky eyes are not that matter of concern, but they may become infected so you need to clean them in order to feel comfortable for the baby. A gummed-up eye is common in newborn babies and particularly in case of premature babies as they have very narrow tear ducts, so tears don’t drain away from the eye and the fluid can get infected.
About 1 in 20 babies is born with tear ducts and that are too narrow or blocked completely than in case of normal babies. This means their tears can’t drain away and their eyes are wet all the time.
If your baby has sticky eye, their eye or eyes will have water a lot, with tears running down their cheeks. It might be notice sticky eye about a month after your baby is born.
What Causes Sticky Eyes In Infants:
Tears are formed by glands inside the upper eyelids and above each eye of the babies. They flow over the surface of the eye and drain away into a small opening in the inside corner of the upper and lower eyelids (R) of the newborn. The tears then flow through the tear duct to the nose.
In some case the babies are born with tear ducts which are too narrow. As the tube gets blocked by a plug of mucus or cells which are developed before the baby was born due to bacterial infection.
Sign And Symptoms Of Sticky Eyes In Infant:
Some of the sign and symptoms of sticky eyes in newborn are as follows-
- A yellow or white fluid may be seen at the corner of the eyes
- The discharge may appear as somewhat flaky or crusty, especially after sleep.
- A mild redness and inflammation is seen around or below the eyes.
- The baby’s eyes may become watery, which could be a result of heavy tearing of the tear ducts.
- The colour of the discharge can also turn green also in some case.
When To Worry About Newborn Sticky Eyes:
If the baby’s eyes become red, puffy or sore, with a greenish discharge then that can cause their eyelids to stick together, may be infected to the babies. This is called conjunctivitis (R).
In this case you should always see your doctor if your child has an eye infection. It may need an antibiotic eye drops or ointment.
You should also see your doctor if in case of:
- The baby seems sensitive to light
- they are constantly squeezing their eyes shut
- there is a green, white or yellow discharge
- the side of their nose seems swollen
- the tear duct is still blocked by the time they reach one year of age
How To Treat Sticky Eyes In Babies:
Sticky eyes usually clear up without medication but in the meantime you should:
- Always wash your hands before and after treatment of sticky eyes in newborn.
- Clean your baby’s eyes regularly with cooled boiled water and cotton wool.
- Use a separate cotton wool ball each time you wipe the eye, wiping from the corner by the nose outwards.
- The cotton wool ball should be separate for each of the sticky eyes
- Avoid sharing towels or flannels to avoid contamination if there is an infection.
- If the cause is a blocked tear duct, it may help if you massage the tear duct every few hours using gentle pressure on the outside of the nose, near the corner of the eye.
- If the tear duct continues to be blocked at twelve months of age, then consult your GP who may refer your child to an eye specialist.
- If the GP thinks the discharge is caused by infection they will prescribe a course of antibiotic eye drops or cream.
How To Prevent Sticky Eyes In New Born Babies:
There aren’t much that you can do to prevent stickiness in eyes when your baby is born with blocked tear ducts.
- The ducts start opening and begin to drain normally after few months of life.
- In case they don’t open on their own, your doctor may suggest a fine probe under influence of anesthesia once he turns around 1 year
Sticky eyes in infant are not the serious problem. It can be taken care with natural home remedies for sticky eyes in infant. It is always good to be aware and has a careful eye, so that it does not lead to any infection. So, stay aware and stay safe!. Hope this article has provided you enough information about sticky eyes.
