Why does my baby have watery eyes

Baby Watering Eyes Causes and Treatments

If you discover that your child has watery eyes, it could be due to several reasons. This symptom, called epiphora, can be caused by blocked tear ducts, infections, and allergies.

The different causes of watery eyes in babies and toddlers require different treatments. Some require minimal action on the part of the parents, while other treatments include prescription medications or even surgery.

You should always see your child’s pediatrician if you’re concerned about your child’s watery eyes.

Watery eyes can be a symptom of numerous medical conditions. A likely cause of watery eyes in infants can be blocked tear ducts. These often resolve on their own.

Other causes of watery eyes in infants and toddlers include infections like conjunctivitis (pink eye) or even the common cold. Your child may even experience watery eyes from irritants or hay fever.

Blocked tear duct

Your baby may have a blocked tear duct causing watery eyes. This condition is quite common in infants, with one-third of them having the condition.

Blocked tear ducts occur when tears cannot move from the corners of the eyelids into the ducts lining your nose. This causes tears to back up in the eye. Many infants experience this because the end of the tear duct’s membrane does not open, or because the opening is too narrow at birth. The condition resolves itself in 90 percent of infants by their first birthday.

Other causes of blocked tear ducts are less common but include:

nasal polyps
cyst or tumor
trauma to the eye

You may see symptoms of a blocked tear duct right after birth or within the first few months of your child’s life.

Other symptoms of a blocked tear duct include:

pus in the eye
crusting eyelids and eyelashes

Your child may experience an infection related to a blocked tear duct. Symptoms of the infection, called dacryocystitis, include:

redness in the inner corner of the eye
bump at the side of the nose that is tender or swollen

It’s important to visit a pediatrician if you suspect this condition in your infant. The symptoms associated with a blocked tear duct may rarely actually be symptoms of childhood glaucoma.

Common cold

Your child’s watery eyes can also be a symptom of a common cold.

Children are more susceptible to colds than adults because they’ve not built up immunity and often touch their eyes, nose, and mouth, causing more germs to spread. Your child may develop watery eyes along with other cold symptoms like a stuffed or runny nose and sneezing.

Infections

Your infant’s watery eyes may also be caused by an infection.

Conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye, may be causing the watery eyes. This can occur in children at any time. Pink eye occurs when a virus or, less commonly, bacteria get into the eye. Conjunctivitis can also be caused by irritation.

Symptoms of pink eye include:

red eyes
swollen eyes
discharge of pus from the eye

Newborns are particularly at risk if they develop pink eye and it goes untreated for too long. A mother can pass on an infection to her newborn during childbirth, such as chlamydia or gonorrhea, even if she doesn’t have symptoms.

If your newborn shows signs of pink eye, see a doctor immediately. The doctor will look for swelling, redness, and dilated blood vessels.

Allergies

Watery, red eyes may be a symptom of allergic conjunctivitis. Irritants like pollen, dust, and smoke can cause an allergic reaction in the eye.

Hay fever, known as allergic rhinitis, may also cause watery eyes. Other symptoms for this condition include:

runny and/or itchy nose
sneezing
nasal congestion and postnasal drip
congestion
ear canal pressure or pain

Toddlers may experience watery eyes for many of the same reasons as infants. An unresolved blocked tear duct from infancy or an infection or allergies may be causing the symptom.

Toddlers are also more likely than older children and adults to develop frequent colds, which may cause watery eyes.

The treatment for watery eyes in infants and toddlers will vary. Often, you don’t need to do much to treat the watery eyes and the symptom will clear up on its own.

In other cases, you may need a prescription to clear up an infection. Or your child may need to have surgery to resolve a long-lasting blocked tear duct.

Home remedies

You may consider home remedies if a doctor recommends them or if your child’s watery eyes look white in color and not irritated.

Blocked tear ducts can resolve on their own, but your doctor may recommend massaging the tear duct to help it open. You can massage the outside of your child’s nose (from the eye to the corner of the nose) with a clean index finger. Apply firm pressure during the massage.

You may also find that gently pressing a warm cloth to the eye also helps clean the eye and provides comfort to your child.

For older children, watery eyes caused by colds or hay fever may be minimized with over-the-counter cold and allergy medications recommended by a doctor.

Medical treatment

Your child’s watery eyes may require medical treatment if they’re infected or if the tearing persists.

Blocked tear ducts can get infected at times and may require an antibiotic to treat. These can be administered topically with an ointment or eye drop, orally, or even in some cases intravenously at the hospital.

Conjunctivitis caused by bacteria may also require antibiotics to clear the condition out of your child’s eye. A pediatrician may recommend rinsing the eye with saline to clear out buildup in the eye.

If your child’s blocked tear duct does not resolve itself, your child may need a greater level of medical care. A doctor may recommend nasolacrimal duct probing. This involves the doctor inserting a small probe through your child’s tear duct into their nose to widen the passage. A doctor may be able to do this with a local anesthetic for your child, or it may require general anesthesia.

If the probing procedure does not help the blocked tear duct, your child may need another procedure. There are varying types of procedures. Many have low complication rates and do not require overnight hospitalization.

See a pediatrician right away if your newborn develops watery eyes, as they may be a sign of a more serious condition, like pink eye. Newborn pink eye caused by a bacterial infection needs to be treated within 24 hours of symptoms.

You should also see a doctor if the following symptoms accompany your child’s watery eyes:

inflammation
redness
discharge that is yellow or green in color
pain
changes in eye or eyelid structure
sensitivity to light
itching (your child may rub their eyes often)

Several conditions can cause watery eyes in infants and children. Some like blocked tear ducts or a viral infection may resolve on their own with time. Other causes may require more immediate medical treatment.

You should talk to your child’s doctor to diagnose the condition and begin appropriate treatment if your child’s watery eyes are accompanied by other symptoms, or if you’re concerned.

Baby Watering Eyes Causes and Treatments

If you discover that your child has watery eyes, it could be due to several reasons. This symptom, called epiphora, can be caused by blocked tear ducts, infections, and allergies.

You should always see your child’s pediatrician if you’re concerned about your child’s watery eyes.

Watery eyes can be a symptom of numerous medical conditions. A likely cause of watery eyes in infants can be blocked tear ducts. These often resolve on their own.

Other causes of watery eyes in infants and toddlers include infections like conjunctivitis (pink eye) or even the common cold. Your child may even experience watery eyes from irritants or hay fever.

Blocked tear duct

Your baby may have a blocked tear duct causing watery eyes. This condition is quite common in infants, with one-third of them having the condition.

Other causes of blocked tear ducts are less common but include:

nasal polyps
cyst or tumor
trauma to the eye

You may see symptoms of a blocked tear duct right after birth or within the first few months of your child’s life.

Other symptoms of a blocked tear duct include:

pus in the eye
crusting eyelids and eyelashes

Your child may experience an infection related to a blocked tear duct. Symptoms of the infection, called dacryocystitis, include:

redness in the inner corner of the eye
bump at the side of the nose that is tender or swollen

It’s important to visit a pediatrician if you suspect this condition in your infant. The symptoms associated with a blocked tear duct may rarely actually be symptoms of childhood glaucoma.

Common cold

Your child’s watery eyes can also be a symptom of a common cold.

Infections

Your infant’s watery eyes may also be caused by an infection.

Symptoms of pink eye include:

red eyes
swollen eyes
discharge of pus from the eye

If your newborn shows signs of pink eye, see a doctor immediately. The doctor will look for swelling, redness, and dilated blood vessels.

Allergies

Watery, red eyes may be a symptom of allergic conjunctivitis. Irritants like pollen, dust, and smoke can cause an allergic reaction in the eye.

Hay fever, known as allergic rhinitis, may also cause watery eyes. Other symptoms for this condition include:

runny and/or itchy nose
sneezing
nasal congestion and postnasal drip
congestion
ear canal pressure or pain

Toddlers may experience watery eyes for many of the same reasons as infants. An unresolved blocked tear duct from infancy or an infection or allergies may be causing the symptom.

Toddlers are also more likely than older children and adults to develop frequent colds, which may cause watery eyes.

The treatment for watery eyes in infants and toddlers will vary. Often, you don’t need to do much to treat the watery eyes and the symptom will clear up on its own.

In other cases, you may need a prescription to clear up an infection. Or your child may need to have surgery to resolve a long-lasting blocked tear duct.

Home remedies

You may consider home remedies if a doctor recommends them or if your child’s watery eyes look white in color and not irritated.

You may also find that gently pressing a warm cloth to the eye also helps clean the eye and provides comfort to your child.

For older children, watery eyes caused by colds or hay fever may be minimized with over-the-counter cold and allergy medications recommended by a doctor.

Medical treatment

Your child’s watery eyes may require medical treatment if they’re infected or if the tearing persists.

You should also see a doctor if the following symptoms accompany your child’s watery eyes:

inflammation
redness
discharge that is yellow or green in color
pain
changes in eye or eyelid structure
sensitivity to light
itching (your child may rub their eyes often)

You should talk to your child’s doctor to diagnose the condition and begin appropriate treatment if your child’s watery eyes are accompanied by other symptoms, or if you’re concerned.

Lachrymation in children: causes, diagnosis, treatment

Children's clinic JSC "Medicina"
(clinic of Academician Roitberg)

What should I do if my child's eyes start to water heavily? How dangerous can it be? Should I pay attention to this or is it a temporary phenomenon that will pass by itself? The answer is unequivocal: parents need to pay attention to this and find out the cause of lacrimation. Often, tearing from one eye in a child is a sign of the development of an infectious disease, a cold, or a manifestation of an allergic reaction. Moreover, such a manifestation may be the result of an injury, and it is important to prevent deterioration of vision. But in order to take effective measures to eliminate the problem, you must absolutely know the cause. Therefore, in most cases, an appeal to a specialist is required, and sometimes not to one.

Causes of watery eyes in children

Specialists identify several main causes of watery eyes in a child. At the same time, the symptoms and the nature of the course in them differ significantly. Therefore, we propose to consider each group of reasons in detail.

Conjunctivitis is a fairly common infectious disease that often occurs in children. Inflammation develops as a result of infection in the body. And she can get there in various ways, even with a speck of dust in her eye. The inflammatory process is accompanied by profuse lacrimation and redness of the white of the eye. Also, concomitant symptoms with various types of conjunctivitis can be swelling and swelling of the eyelids, unpleasant painful sensations. As with any other problem, it is best to start treatment as soon as possible, then it will be most effective and least long-lasting.

The main types of conjunctivitis:

adenovirus - accompanies various viral diseases (for example, SARS, influenza, etc. ). As a result, the child has a strong irritation of the cornea of the eye, lacrimation and redness of the proteins;
bacterial - caused by the penetration of bacteria into the eye. The risk of infection is present when debris accidentally enters the eye or rubbing the eyes with contaminated hands. As a result of the introduction of pathogens, an inflammatory process begins, which is accompanied by profuse lacrimation and painful sensations, with an advanced degree, copious discharge of pus is possible;
allergic - caused by contact with the corresponding allergen irritant. Symptoms appear immediately after contact and, as a rule, are pronounced.

Barley. It looks like a seal with localization on the eyelid. Seal tends to rapidly increase in size. At the same time, an inflammatory process occurs inside the seal and a barley sac is formed, in which pus accumulates. As the stye sac grows, so does the discomfort it creates for the eye. Irritation is accompanied by a strong release of lacrimal fluid. The cause of barley may be the hypothermia of the child or the ingress of debris and dust into the eye.

Dacryocystitis of the newborn. Can be diagnosed in infants in the first weeks of life. The fact is that immediately after birth, the nasolacrimal canal, through which, in fact, the lacrimal fluid passes, may not yet be open, that is, there is a congenital obstruction. As a result, the baby's tear fluid is removed from the eyes, and it looks like profuse lacrimation. The channel will gradually open, and with its opening, the tearing from the eyes of the child will also stop.

Foreign body entry. It is no secret that the eye is a very vulnerable organ. The ingress of foreign objects into it is of a percussive nature and can injure the protein. Even if the blow was not strong, it causes a defensive reaction - an abundant release of lacrimal fluid. It actively wets the injured area and thus helps to remove the foreign body from the eye.

Exposure to a computer or other modern gadgets. Prolonged use of computers and smartphones without rest for the eyes leads to drying out of the cornea, as the number of blinks decreases. Due to drying, the cornea is irritated, which causes active lacrimation in children. And this once again demonstrates that the use of computer technology by a child and adults should be correct.

Diagnosis of lacrimation in children

Since the causes of lacrimation in children vary widely, it is very important to accurately diagnose them. It is necessary for choosing a method of treatment.

Let's outline the main diagnostic methods that parents can perform in order to decide which doctor to contact.

Visual examination of a child's eyes to determine if watering is due to injury or contamination. In the event of an injury, the help of an ophthalmologist and traumatologist may be required.
Body temperature measurement and throat examination for redness. Fever and the presence of redness are signs of SARS or influenza. In this case, a consultation with a therapist is necessary.
The formation of pus and severe redness of the eyelids may indicate a viral eye infection. In this case, you need to contact an ophthalmologist.

If parents find it difficult to determine the cause of lacrimation, then a visit to the general practitioner is recommended, who will redirect to a specialist.

When to see a doctor

Seeing a doctor for watery eyes in children is not always necessary. If the reason was a long stay at the computer, then rest from this type of activity will solve the problem. The eyes will stop straining, there will be normal hydration of the cornea and tearing will stop.

Things are different when the causes of lacrimation are different and certain symptoms are present.

The child has watery eyes and a severe runny nose - these symptoms are typical for both allergic reactions and colds and viral diseases. It is noteworthy that the redness of the proteins is also characteristic in both cases. Allergic reactions are characterized by pronounced swelling and swelling not only of the eyelids, but also of the bridge of the nose. But this cannot be a decisive factor for independent determination of the cause of lacrimation in a child by parents. Therefore, you need to contact a specialist. If the child had no previous allergic reactions, then the likelihood of an infectious disease is high. But a specialist can accurately diagnose the cause using additional research methods.
The child has watery eyes and an elevated body temperature - this combination of symptoms often indicates a viral infection (ARI, tonsillitis, influenza, etc.). At elevated temperatures, redness of the proteins is always noted, the eyes are irritated, and lacrimation increases. This is a normal protective reaction during the course of infectious diseases.

So, we conclude that if lacrimation is combined with other symptoms, it is necessary to consult an appropriate doctor. With lacrimation, runny nose and fever, the help of a pediatric therapist may be required, as these are symptoms of colds and viral diseases. If the lacrimation and runny nose are allergic in nature, a consultation with a pediatric allergist is required. With a combination of lacrimation with swelling and the appearance of pus, it is necessary to contact a pediatric ophthalmologist to prevent the spread of infection in the eye.

Treatment

The choice of treatment depends on the identified cause. For each case - whether it is an infectious disease, an allergic reaction or a cold, there is a different treatment protocol.

The specialist also takes into account the individual characteristics of the child, the presence of concomitant or chronic diseases, the general condition of the patient. With a simple ingress of dust and debris, it may be sufficient to simply wash the eyes with a decoction of chamomile or sage to relieve irritation.

For a cold that is accompanied by conjunctivitis and watery eyes, the focus is on treating the cold itself and treating the eyes to relieve irritation and symptoms. Treatment of infectious diseases may require the use of antibiotics.

In case of an allergic nature of the problem, first of all it is necessary to eliminate contact with the allergen, and in the future try to exclude the possibility of such contacts.

Prevention of lacrimation in children

Experts recommend the following as preventive measures.

Regular outdoor walks. Staying in the fresh air contributes to the saturation of the eyes with oxygen, which in turn strengthens it and contributes to the proper development of this organ.
Taking special vitamin complexes aimed at improving vision. Proper nutrition is also an important point - the diet should include the nutrients necessary for the eyes.
Eye exercises recommended. It should be done daily. A set of special exercises helps to strengthen the muscles of the eyes, relieve tension and ultimately maintain healthy vision.
Children must adhere to the mode of work at the computer and other types of gadgets. Every hour should take breaks of 10-15 minutes.

How to make an appointment with a specialist

To determine the causes of watery eyes in a child, you need to make an appointment with a doctor.

You can make an appointment by phone +7 (495) 775-73-60 (round the clock), as well as on the website using the online form. Clinic address: Moscow, 2nd Tverskoy-Yamskoy per., 10 (metro stations Mayakovskaya, Tverskaya, Belorusskaya, Novoslobodskaya).

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Lachrymation in children

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