The child complains that his eyes hurt. Causes and treatment

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The eyes are one of the most complex structures in our body, and theirs pain can have many causes. Among them you can distinguish those completely trifling (for example, overload resulting from hours of television screenings), as well as those that are ruthless require urgent medical visit (for example keratitis). It is obvious that this first group of causes, especially among children, is dominant, but from the parent's perspective it is also worth being aware of the existence of other diseases that may manifest itself with eye pain and result in many negative consequences.

Eye pain in children - causes

As we mentioned in the introduction, eye pain can have many causes. Among them, taking into account children, one can distinguish primarily:

• Conjunctivitis - this disease can be infectious, allergic and can result from eye irritation with chemicals (e.g. chlorine).
• Eyelid inflammation - for example, barley relatively common in children.
• Inflammatory processes of the paranasal sinuses and teeth - in these diseases, radiation of pain to the eyeballs is often observed, which gives the impression of eye pain.
• Sight overload - the result of a large amount of time spent in front of the television or computer screen, especially at too close a distance.
• Other rare causes - keratitis, choroiditis, or orbital cancers (in their case, eye pain is only one of the symptoms and is usually accompanied by various degrees of visual impairment!).

Conjunctivitis - one of the most common ophthalmic diseases in children

Conjunctivitis is one of the most common eye diseases in children (statistics say that kids with this condition are close 12 percent of all patients with eye disease outpatient clinics) and can be both infectious and allergic.

In the first case, conjunctivitis is caused by bacterial infection and is manifested by eye pain, swollen eyelids and large production of purulent secretions that tends to stick together. Fortunately, the disease goes away on its own (within 5 to 7 days) and unless the child reports other disturbing symptoms (fever, chills or headaches), and the eye discomfort itself does not last, it does not require a doctor's visit.

Regarding allergic conjunctivitis, it is caused by an allergy to a specific allergen (most often plant pollen and house dust mites) and manifests itself among others pain, itching and intense watering eyes. In contrast, infectious inflammation does not go away on its own and requires a visit to an ophthalmologist for allergy tests and appropriate pharmacological treatment (including antiallergic drops).

Barley - a painful lump on the eyelid

Another common condition that can result in eye pain is barley, a painful inflammatory nodule most often located on the edge of one eyelid. Underlying it bacterial infection which is usually self-limiting and disappears spontaneously in about 1 to 2 weeks (gentle massages and warm compresses can significantly reduce this time). Therefore, barley, in itself, is not an indication for an urgent visit to the doctor, unless the child develops additional symptoms such as fever or impaired vision.

How to care for the eyes of a child?

Here are some rules that will help protect our children's eyesight:

• A child should not spend more than 2 hours a day in front of a TV, laptop or telephone - it should be remembered that the light emitted by these devices, in the long run, is harmful and can damage your eyes.
• The child should learn to care about the hygiene of his eyes - from an early age, instill a toddler that he should not touch or rub his eyes with dirty, unwashed hands.
• The child should have a healthy diet rich in micro and macro elements - a healthy diet is without a doubt a stronger immune system and healthier eyesight (zinc, vitamin A, group B vitamins and omega 3 acids are particularly important for the eyes).

In summary, eye pain is a very common symptom, but usually due to relatively minor causes. However, it should be remembered that it can also herald much more serious diseases, and thus should always arouse the alertness of parents.

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