Stye

“You
have a bump on your eye?” Dr. Kathleen Nelson asks nine-year-old
Juan. “And when did that start?” Two weeks ago, Juan
got an eye infection- a stye. It went away for a few days, but
then it came back.

“And when I touch his eye it feels a little warm,” Dr.
Nelson says examining his eye. Juan flinches in pain. “I’m
sorry honey, I know it hurts you,” she apologizes.

“What this is-is an infection of the hair follicle in his
eyelid. And it’s due to a bacteria germ,” Dr. Nelson
explains. A bacteria known as staphylococcus-often spread when
kids forget to wash their hands, and then rub their eyes.

“And what I’m feeling here, is he has a little lymph-node
right here in front of his ear that’s inflamed. Does it hurt
here when I touch that?” Dr. Nelson asks Juan. It does. “There
was also evidence of local swelling of his lymph gland in front
of his right ear, which is really where the eyelid drains, and
it’s the body’s way of protecting from further spread
of that infection,” the doctor explains.

Juan is in pain, but he is lucky. The cure is pretty easy. As
the doctor explains, “the treatment is a warm compress to
try to bring it to a head and allow it to drain…close your
eyes,” she tells Juan, “and you can just hold it there
for about 10 minutes-two or three times a day, until it will come
to a head and then it may drain. And because he has a swollen gland
here and because it looks so red, we’re also gonna give him
some antibiotic to take by mouth.”

Antibiotics, a warm compress, Tylenol or Motrin for pain, and a reminder
to kids-to always wash their hands. “It looks pretty bad today,
but my guess is within the next two or three days it will look a
whole lot better,” says Dr. Nelson.

Conjunctivitis, also known as “pink eye,” is another common
inflammation of the eye. It can be triggered by either a viral or bacterial
infection or brought on by an allergic reaction. In some cases a foreign
object in the eye, typically a contact lens, can cause the swelling of the
conjunctiva membrane.

A child can first become infected from direct contact with someone
who has the infection or from something that person has touched,
such as a used tissue. The infectious organisms can also spread through
coughing and sneezing. In addition, certain viruses can spread when
children swim in contaminated water or share contaminated towels
(kidshealth.org).

According to the experts at AllAboutVision.com, the most obvious
symptom of pink eye is, of course, a pink eye (redness in the eye).
The pink or red color is due to inflammation. The eye may also hurt
or itch.

To prevent infections, parents and teachers are encouraged to teach
children to wash their hands with warm soapy water. Kids also should
not share materials such as washcloths, eye drops, towels or pillowcases.
If parents know their child is prone to allergic conjunctivitis, they
should close windows on days when the pollen is heavy, and vacuum and
dust frequently to eliminate allergy flare ups in the home.

A stye develops when a gland at the edge of the eyelid becomes
infected. It typically looks like nothing more than an irritated bump on
the eyelid, but if left untreated, a stye occasionally spreads and can become
a serious infection.

A stye will usually run its course in a matter of several days,
whether it is treated or not. When treating a stye, apply a warm
washcloth or compress directly on the eye area, every ten minutes
for the first 24-hours or to alleviate pain.

Diagnosing a stye can be quite easy. According to Allaboutvision.com,
parents should look for the following symptoms:

• Initially painful
• Redness
• Tenderness
• Swelling in the area
• Small pimple on the eyelid

Prevention :
Parents can help their children prevent getting
styes. Wipe your child’s
face with a warm washcloth to keep his pores from getting clogged.
Also, children who rub their nose with their hands and then touch their
eyes become very susceptible to contracting a stye.