Care Advice
What You Should Know About Bacterial Eye Infections:
- Bacterial eye infections can occur with colds.
- The main symptom is lots of pus that keeps coming back during the day.
- They often need antibiotic eye drops, which need a prescription. Your doctor will decide.
- They are not harmful to vision.
- Until you get some antibiotic eye drops, here is some advice that should help.
Remove Pus:
- Remove all the dried and liquid pus from the eyelids. Use warm water and wet cotton balls to do this.
- Do this whenever pus is seen on the eyelids.
- Also, remove the pus before the antibiotic eye drops are put in. Reason: they will not work if you don't.
- The pus can spread infection to others. So, dispose of it carefully.
- Wash your hands well after any contact with the pus.
Antibiotic Eye Drops: How to Use
- For a cooperative child, gently pull down on the lower lid. Put 1 drop inside the lower lid. Then ask your child to close the eye for 2 minutes. Reason: so the medicine will get into the tissues.
- For a child who won't open his eye, have him lie down. Put 1 drop over the inner corner of the eye. If your child opens the eye or blinks, the eye drop will flow in. If he doesn't open the eye, the drop will slowly seep into the eye.
Contact Lenses:
- Children who wear contact lenses need to switch to glasses until the infection is gone.
- Reason: to prevent damaging the eye and making the infection worse.
- Contact lenses that are not disposable should be disinfected. Do this before wearing them again after the infection is gone.
- Disposable contact lenses should be thrown away.
Return to School:
- Your child can return to school when the pus is a small amount.
- Antibiotic eye drops should be used for 24 hours before going back.
What to Expect:
- With treatment, the pus discharge should clear up in 3 days.
- The red eyes may last up to a week.
Call Your Doctor If:
- Eyelid gets red or swollen
- You think your child needs to be seen
- Your child becomes worse
Remember! Contact your doctor if you or your child develop any "Contact Your Doctor" symptoms.