Handy Home Remedies to Treat Conjunctivitis in Children

With the approaching winters comes the risk of infections and airborne virus that may affect your child’s he or she falls prey to them. In that case, all you can do is cure them in a best possible way. One such infection is of an eye flu or conjunctivitis or pink eye that leaves the eyes of your child red, sticky and quite watery. Yes, quite irritating for a child, so what do you do apart from administering the eye drops?

Well, I have some tried and tested home remedies that work really well on conjunctivitis. But before I share that with you let’s see what is conjunctivitis.

What Is Conjunctivitis?

Conjunctivitis is referred to as pink-eye which is an eye infection commonly found in children. You need not worry about it since this is a common and a treatable infection of the conjunctiva (a transparent membrane that lines the inside of the eyelids and the whites of the eyes). The reason why it is termed as “pink eye” is due to the redness of the eye which is caused by the inflammation that makes the blood vessel more visible. The inflammation can be caused by an infection, an allergy or some other irritant. If you notice the white part of your child’s eye or both the eyes have turned pink or red, including the lower rim of the eye or eyes, chances are that he/she might have conjunctivitis and needs to be given medical attention immediately. Bacterial and viral pink-eye can be contagious hence proper care must be offered to the child and the infection must be treated quickly.

What Causes Conjunctivitis In Children?

After knowing what conjunctivitis or pink-eye is, it is essential in knowing the reason for its occurrence in order to prevent your child from the same. Below listed are a few causes of pink-eye in your child. Let’s have a look at them.

1. Virus: If your child has infected conjunctivitis while you also notice the symptoms of cold, the infection is mostly viral in such cases
2. Bacteria: Bacteria such as staphylococcus, streptococcus, or hemophilus can lead to pinkeye in your child which produces a thick yellow discharge around the eye and leads them to sticking together
3. An allergy: An allergic reaction to irritants such as dust, smoke or pollen can make your child’s eye itchy, swollen, watery and might seem to be bloodshot along with a runny nose
4. Other: Irritation in the lining of the eyelids, smog or chlorine in the swimming pool can lead to conjunctivitis in your child

As you now know what conjunctivitis is and the causes of the same, let us have a look at the symptoms of this infection in your child.

What Are The Symptoms Of Conjunctivitis In Your Child?

Here are some common pink eye symptoms of eye flu in your child. Read these Conjunctivitis or pink eye treatment facts... 

1. Since conjunctivitis is the infection of an eye, or both the eyes, you will notice redness in the white part of your child’s eye. The lower rim of his/her eye might have also turned reddish
2. As your child’s system tries to fight the infection, his/her eye may tear frequently and become crusty with a yellowish or whitish substance being formed around the corner of the eye
3. The crustiness might lead to the eyelashes getting stuck as your child wakes up in the morning, thus, making it hard to open them
4. Bacterial infection may lead to fan ear infection as well
5. Viral infection can lead to cold, fever and coughing
6. This infection usually causes irritation in the child’s eye, urging them to rub frequently
7. Conjunctivitis can be painful at times that can lead to discomfort to the affected child

Effective Home Remedies To Treat Conjunctivitis In Your Child

Since children may be intolerable to the eye drops prescribed by your doctor, there are a number of home remedies which have been proven to be effective in treating your child for the infection. Let us look at the possible effective remedy to treat your child for conjunctivitis quickly.

1. Tea bag remedy: If you notice inflammation in your child’s eye, help him/her get rid of it by dipping a black tea bag in lukewarm water and then placing it on top of his/her infected eye for half an hour. If your child is less likely to sit in one place for time being, engage him/her while you read out stories or simply put him/her to sleep. Following this remedy for a few hours in a day can bring magical results in just a couple of days that will reduce to itchiness and swelling, thus, curing the infection
2. Raw honey remedy: Since honey is considered to be a natural antibiotic which has antiviral and antibacterial properties, giving your child 2-3 teaspoons of raw honey can help get rid of the infection faster as honey will help your child’s body to fight the virus quickly
3. Raw potato remedy: Giving you the best results in a mere few days, you can cut 2 slices of raw potato and place them on your child’s infected eye for a few minutes which will not only reduce the inflammation but also soothe the eye
4. Sea salt remedy: Sea salt will work wonders while treating conjunctivitis in your child as all you need to do is help your child rinse his/her infected eye with a concentrated solution prepared with sea salt and warm water. You can also damp a cotton ball in the solution and apply on the infected eye of your child to bring relief
5. Turmeric remedy: Turmeric has forever been the best antibiotic remedy for various health and skin conditions which makes it legit for treating conjunctivitis in your child. Apply 2 teaspoons of turmeric, mixed in boiled water as a compress on the infected eye which will reduce the pain as well
6. Warm/cold compress: You can take a clean cloth damped in warm water and apply as a compress on your child’s infected eye. The same can be done with a cold cloth but you have to make sure to use different cloth for each eye in case of the infection being present in both the eyes, thus, preventing from the infection being spread ahead
7. Aloe vera: This remedy needs no introduction as nature has bestowed us with this wonderful plant to heal a number of skin infections. Just extract fresh aloe juice directly from the leaf and use it as an eye wash for your child. Or you can damp a clean cloth in the aloe juice and use it as a compress on the infected eye which will help reduced the itching and irritation caused by the infection

You can try out the these conjunctivitis home remedies to treat your child in case of a mild infection. But if you notice major symptoms like extreme redness and swelling accompanied by fever, immediate medical attention has to be given to your child to curb the infection from spreading like a wild fire.

Did you like the blog on home remedies for conjunctivitis? If your child has earlier contacted conjunctivitis and you have treated him/her through home remedies, other than the ones mentioned above, kindly do share them with us. It will help shed light on the matter and will be of a great help to other parents as well.Also do share your thoughts, views and feedback in the comments section below.