Eye rubbing too much. What to do if eye inflammation?

Written by : Dr Cheung Kit

 

Every child has his or her own characteristics. As a parent, you may not be able to tell what your child is trying to express by their expressions, behaviors and vocalizations. Take the example of a child’s reaction to dozing, the form of expression varies from 

person to person.Some may cry, some may lose their temper, some may rub their eyes, or a variety of other reactions. Among the many reactions, in my position as a doctor,

the most unwanted habit is “rubbing eyes” because this will easily cause inflammation.

 

Eye inflammation is not caused by unclean hands?

 

Interestingly, the inflammation was not due to the child’s unclean hands, but to other

causes. In this case, the inflammation was not initially caused by bacteria, but by 

a blockage of the secretory glands near the eyelashes. When the hand rubs against the 

eye, the originally open ventral outlet is disrupted by the external pressure, causing

pressure in the gland as the oil cannot be expelled, which then causes an inflammatory reaction. This inflammatory reaction is superficially the same as a normal bacterial

inflammation. The difference is that in this case, antibiotics (topical and oral) are not

effective. The correct method is to do warm compresses for your eyes, which is 

intended to open the blocked outlet and make the inflammation disappear slowly.

How to treat eye acne?

 

To treat an existing eye acne, besides seeing a doctor, the most basic method is to 

do warm compresses as described above. Choose a reheatable heat pack or use a lightly heated towel. Do warm compresses for 5 minutes, 3 times a day. The need for 

antibiotics is at the discretion of the doctor. However, the following principles apply.

 

– Whether the inflammation of the eye acne exceeds the normal case

– Is there any bacterial inflammation of the conjunctiva?

– Is the tissue around the eye red and painful?

– Whether the child is able to control his or her own eye rubbing to reduce the 

possibility of bacterial inflammation

 

Early treatment of ophthalmia

 

If the inflammation is not controlled, the swelling may not disappear on its own. In this case, surgical release of the swelling is a must. Although it may sound scary, the

procedure is actually a simple one and only requires local anaesthesia. Therefore, 

parents only need to follow the doctor’s advice and they can rest assured.

All in all, our biggest fear is not that our children’s hands are dirty, but that they keep

rubbing eyes. If the eye infection is caused by nasal allergy, eye allergy and eczema,

parents must take it seriously. Parents should feel free to use medication when they

want to, without having to worry about how long it will take and the side effects that may occur.