Conjunctivitis and getting thsoe drops in

[elwar]

My DD (8m) has had conjunctivitis for nearly a week now, and after the Doctor originally said it would clear on it's own with no antibiotics, we went back as her nursery didn't want an infectious untreated baby there, as long as we had some ointment/drops they were happy for her to be there.
Went to use the ointment (chloramphenicol) yesterday & read the side effects leaflet first. We were horrified that this could be prescribed to anyone, let alone a baby. Side effects include burning, stinging, itching, dermatitis, and more rarely grey baby syndrome, bone marrow depression, aneamia and (this was the most shocking)- childhood leukaemias. There was no way we were going to put that stuff anywhere near her. We're keeping her off nursery till it goes on it's own.

Interesting to read about breast milk in the eyes, and Euphrasia. Might give them a try.

[Enid]

Dd and I were prescribed fusithalmic (?) cream - I think the active ingredient is fusidic acid. It worked well and stung a tiny bit with no major side effects.

To be honest, I find it clears up on its own if its just left untreated (as long as its not too bad an infection in the first place).

[Tissy]

elwar-

the manufacturers have a legal obligation to inform you of any side effect that could possibly happen, however rare. Given topically, the chances of a side effect happening are minimal, and if the conjunctivitis has persisted, I think you should use the ointment. Chloramphenicol is a drug that has been successfully used for conjunctivitis for many years, I have used it myself on many occasions. Incidentally, my British National Formulary only lists transient stinging as a side effect of the drops/ ointment, and none of the other horrors that you mentioned. These are side effects of the same drug given by mouth or intravenously in large doses, and even then are rare- grey baby syndrome only occurs in neonates (ie newborn babies) with immature livers.

Please don't worry, your GP isn't going to give you a drug that is clearly dangerous! (But by all means try the breastmilk trick- it worked for my baby when she was 3 or 4 days old.)

[winnie1]

elwar, we use pulsatilla (sp?) on our toddler when he has conjunctivitus. It was recommended to us by our homeopath and this does the trick.

[lou33]

I'd also add that conjunctivitis is very painful, like having glass in your eye, so I would weigh up whether the child concerned could cope with that. It drove me insane after just a couple of days of having it as an adult.

[mollipops]

You could try bathing the eye/s in warm salty water (1 tspn salt to a cup of water) and wipe from the inner corner outwards, using a different cloth/gauze for each eye. You can also make up a solution using dried marigold flowers, boiled in a cup of water for 15 mins, strained thru a coffee filter, and cooled. Then soak gauze in it and use as a compress over the eyes. HTH!

[zebra]

DD (now 9m old) has 3x had conjunctivitus. First time I cracked and got the antibiotics, but 2nd 2 times it just went away by itself. I give her Calpol when she's obviously irritated by her eyes, and very occasionally I clean them if they just look too dreadful.

But honestly, it just seems to go by itself. I have 2 friends who say they've had similar experiences with their DDs. Best prevention is frequent nose-cleaning, and never cleaning her eyes otherwise.

[QD]

try cleansing with a solution of fennel tea. That worked for us. Also I've heard breast-milk works well. I never got round to testing that altho' I kept meaning to. Hope it gets better soon

[florenceuk]

OK now I'm really paranoid as DS and I just had lunch with a baby with conjunctivitis! What's the incubation period and how much contact is needed to pass it on?

[mears]

Elwar - breastmilk is a well recognised treatment for conjunctivitis in babies. Definately worth a go.