Slightly swollen eye, lashes stuck together with pus in morning

[justone]

DS left eye has been red and the eyelid has been swollen for 2 days. The last 3 mornings his eyelashes have been glued together with thick yellow pus. I have just used water and cotton wool to get the pus off. He says his eye doesn't hurt and he can see normally.
Shall I take him to the doctors? He is 11 btw.

[noblegiraffe]

It sounds like conjunctivitis. I'd take him to the docs.

[justone]

Thanks noble its just so difficult to get an appointment that I didn't want to bother if it was likely to be nothing.

[YellowAndGreenAndRedAndBlue]

I would pop to the chemist if it doesn't clear in a few more days. Bathe through the day with cooled boiled water or sterile water from chemist. Conjunctivitis normally clears itself.

[YellowAndGreenAndRedAndBlue]

Doc won't do much for conjunctivitis. Nhs online has loads of info.

[TheOneAndOnlyAlpha]

Conjunctivitis! Wipe gently with cool boiled water and cotton wool. The gp will prescribe Antibio drops. Make sure you get the drops not the greasy cream as that's harder to get in their little eyes.

[YellowAndGreenAndRedAndBlue]

Oh don't get antibiotics for something that should clear itself, only needed if it gets bad surely.

[Chigley1]

You can buy anti-biotic drops over the counter now. Speak to pharmacist if getting a doc appt is a pain.

[DPotter]

Conjunctivitis - which is highly contagious and unlikely to clear by itself. Does your GP surgery have a Nurse-led clinic ? Often easier to get an appointment for and they are allowed to prescribe antibiotics for things like conjunctivitis. also if they think your DS needs to see a Gp they can whizz you in to see one there and then. - well at least that's what happens at our H centre.

[justone]

Your health centre sounds great DPotter! sadly mine isn't great....
I will try to get an appointment for tomorrow if it isn't better

[Wereonourway]

This isn't necessarily conjunctavitis op.
My ds suffered from orbital cellulitis repeatedly last year which resulted in swelling. We have a fab eye infirmary near us where we went but the treatment is not the same as conjunctavitis so I would get it checked out.

[BeaWheesht]

OP - no need for doc - a chemist can prescribe

[YellowAndGreenAndRedAndBlue]

Nhs online says 'most cases of infective conjunctivitis do not require medical treatment and will clear up in one to two weeks' and 'Antobiotics will not usually be prescribed for infective conjunctivitis because they make little difference to recovery'.

However, yes, it is very contagious.

[SuperLemonCrush]

If you don't want it to go all round the family then definitely get some drops from the chemist - think optrex do an antibiotic one, it's great, starts working right away.

[Jojay]

Agree with Yellow - if it is conjunctivitis, which sounds likely, don't bother with the doctor, it should clear up by itself in a week or two. Look at NHS Direct online.

[Beamur]

Try to get him not to rub his eyes - and keep washing hands etc - it's very easy to spread it to the other eye.

[MrsMushroom]

It could just as likely be Blepharitis which needs a doctor....because it can make all your eyelashes fall out permanently. I speak from experience. I thought I had conjunctivitis and it was only after I lost a third of my lashes when it never cleared up for a fortnight, that I went to the doctor and he said it was Blepharitis.

[Ninetyninepercent]

I thought viral conjunctivitis would likely take week or so to clear and obv no point in antibiotics. But bacterial conjunctivitis (which I always thought was more likely with yellow goo n stuck together in morning is more likely) would benefit from antibiotic drops. When Dc or I get yellow goo and stuck together eyes the chloramphenicol drops (from pharmacy) sort it out very quickly - after 24h. Dosing every few hours is a pain though but at least you know you're not passing it on once treatment has started.

[justone]

Thanks all, it is slightly better this morning, a bit swollen and gooey but not stuck together so I think I will go to the chemist and get the chloramphenicol drops rather than go to the doctors. If they don't clear it in a couple of days I will make the dreaded doctors appointment - I don't know why but I feel you have to be seriously ill before bothering our doctor!

[Fizzylemonade]

Am late coming to this but depending on what your son's school says he may not be able to attend school with conjunctivitis unless it is being treated.

Ds2 recently had it, he is 6, and he needed the eye drops 3 times a day so I went into school to administer the lunchtime eye drops. The school office would do it but I just didn't want someone having to pin him down and force his eye open

It was only for 4 days and luckily there was a weekend in the middle of that.

I rang my doctors at 8.20am and got an appointment for 8.40am.