Conjunctivitis in the newborn

The eyes of the newborn baby are very delicate. As soon as the midwife or nurse of pediatrics is born they apply an antibiotic ointment , to prevent serious ocular infections that can even cause blindness. That's why the eyes of the baby the first hours are so bright and a little yellow in color. In

The eyes of the newborn baby are very delicate. As soon as the midwife or nurse of pediatrics is born they apply an antibiotic ointment, to prevent serious ocular infections that can even cause blindness. That's why the eyes of the baby the first hours are so bright and a little yellow in color. In general it is chlortetracycline ointment. But, what happens if the baby has a yellow discharge in his eyes?

What to do if the newborn has neonatal conjunctivitis

The baby's eyes should be washed with warm water, during bathing or daily grooming. From time to time we can use eye wipes, especially indicated for the hygiene of this part of the body.

Whenever we see secretions, although they are clear, whitish, we must clean them with saline and with a sterile gasite. Nothing happens if we do it several times a day.

If the discharge is yellowish or greenish we should consult our pediatrician. The specialist will indicate some eye ointment with antibiotic to apply it in the eyes of the baby. It is convenient to first remove all secretion or tear remnants with physiological saline and sterile gauze.

Afterwards we will apply the ocular ointment opening the lower eyelid a little bit and placing a small quantity, like a granite of rice inside the eye. When the eye is closed, the ointment will be distributed. We can also put a little bit on the tip of our finger and apply it on the edge of the eyelashes, always with very clean hands.

If this discharge is very frequent, or the baby has constant tearing, we should consult with the pediatrician, who will probably refer us to an ophthalmologist for assessment. It is likely that the baby has a blockage of the tear duct, something very common in the first months of life, and that usually resolves spontaneously.

Anyway, we can help by giving light massage with the fingertips in the inner corner of the eye, both in the upper and lower. If it still does not resolve after a few months, it is likely that the ophthalmologist has to make a small intervention to unblock it with a special probe.