Eye Infection in 7 Month Old

I had pinkeye last year and it was not really painful, just a pain to deal with. It's so contagious that I didn't go near anyone till it was completely cleared up. My son who was 1 1/2 at the time did not get it however.
It could be pet allergies. I have cat allergies and my eye gets swollen and sometimes crusty and I wheeze.

If it's only around Dad, I'd say it could be allergies!! Only thing to really clear up allergies is getting out of the situation!

pink eye is an infection, very contagious. The drops are antibiotic drops, and don't seem to be working. Sounds like the dr. needs to prescribe a different antibiotic. Call them and tell them that it has spread and is getting worse, they should prescribe another one for you.

hi M., this is a long shot since you are a working mother, but "if" you happen to be nursing your 7 month old, you can express some of your milk in a clean little baby food jar and with a dropper....drop a few drops of your milk in his eye a few times a day. mother's milk is a natural antibiotic, anti-viral, anti bacterial. you can look it up online -- i am sure there is more information about it = ) sounds like he may have a blocked tear duct that is infected, although i am no doctor.

M.,

I see that everyone else has addressed the pink eye issue. I think you should take a closer look at the allergies and wheezing, especially since you mentioned your son is already on a nebulizer. My daughter had asthma so badly when she was very young and it grew continually worse until she was in junior high and I took her to an allergist. Having a child with asthma (or the potential since he's already wheezing) and having a cat is not a good combination. I'm sure the dogs are adding to it and who knows what else at his father's house. I love and adored my cats, but I ended up having to make a decision regarding my daughter's health and well-being and my cat. Had I to do it over again, I would have sought a second or third opinion immediately and would have made my difficult decisions much sooner also. It would have saved her years of constant medications, hospital visits, and being kept from different activities, as well as my own peace of mind.

I wish you all the luck with everything and don't forget that there's nothing wrong with having a second opinion if you don't think something's right or working. I'll be thinking about you and sending good thoughts.

L.

pink eye is contagious and if you dont wash your hands every time you touch his eyes you can spread it to yourself and reinfect him...unfortunately been there with my oldest ...dr didn't tell me until i got it and had to be treated too....also use a different wash cloth every time and make sure to wash in HOT water....as i remember it is mildly painful but extremely itchy....from what i have seen it is not uncommon in kids...

i hope this helps some

Awww...Poor little guy. When my girls had pink eye I had to give them drops as well. It should clear in within one to two weeks. Your son's condition sounds a lot worse though. My girls only had a mild bout of it that spread to both myself and my husband. I cleaned their eyes with sugar water. I know it sound odd but it helped. I would do it before eyedrops and before bed time and after baths. I tried for at least three times a day. It seemed to work pretty well.

It does sound like he could be allergic to the animals too. I get the same problems when I go to my friends house. She has a dog and if I am not careful and rub my eye while I am over there I get an eye infection for at least three days. Being that he's only 7 months old he's probably rubbing his eyes frequently. Pink eye can come from your nose too. If you have a cold or sinus infection it can travel from your sinuses to your eyes.

I would for sure find an allergy doctor and take him. Pink eye can be very irritating and make a person really cranky. It sort of feels like you have sand in your eye, or like they are really dry.

I hope it clears up for him soon. Poor thing.

Good Luck!

I contracted pink-eye from my daughter. It is very contagious. The pink-eye does not hurt, but it itches. I wish you the best.

Hi M.,

Pink eye is a pain because it is VERY contagious. You touch the infected eye once and then you can spread it. So, trying to keep kids hands away from their eyes... SO hard. You may need some more aggressive eye drops. I would take him back.

I've had pink eye. It isn't painful..but very itchy. You feel like you have a piece of sand in your eye. It was hard for ME not to touch my eye, let alone a little kid. However, the eye drops should help it feel better quickly. So, you may need something a bit stronger if this isn't helping. You should have seen improvement in a day or so.

As already suggested, I would keep him from traveling anywhere so you can manage the drops, when he's getting his hands washed etc... If pink eye isn't managed properly, it can linger and go on and on.

Good luck!

HI M.-

It does not sound like Pinkeye at all, seeing how it has not gone away within a few days [ eye within a few days of drops should "look better"], or seen improvement. I think I would seriously have your son tested for allergies. wheezing,puffy eyes, runny nose is a majority of the symptoms. There is a wonderful allergist in our area [ tri-cities] named Cori Cookingham. I see him for my seasonal allergies. If insurance allows I would make an appointment ASAP. If not him, I took my daughter to Dr. Horbal [ he has offices in Bay City and Midland].

The best thing I did when my baby got pink eye was to get LOTS of refills on the eye drops. Tell your doctor you are out even before you are to get more. And get one more refill when the drops are done and the infection is gone just to have some in your cubboard for the next time. The fastest way to get rid of it is to put drops in within the hour that you notice it! It is too late this time, but if you have drops in your cubboard for next time, you won't have to wait for the doctor to write another prescription then. The drops work for adults too - same concentration for adults as for babies amazingly.

It looks like you've already gotten a ton of advice. Just one more thought - I have twins that shared pink eye when they were about 9 months old. The drops that the doctor prescribed, which are very common, had sulfa in them and one child responded well and the other ended up being allergic to them. His eye didn't clear up and his eye would get puffy, and more irritated. Not sure if this is what could be happening or not, but it's just a thought. Also, it could be allergies, but they typically won't do allergy testing on them until they are 2-3 yrs old. My son is getting it a little early because he seems to be sensitive to so many things. You may want to ask, but I would definitely take the child back to the dr. Best of luck!

M.,
If your child had a bacterial "pink eye" or conjunctivitis, it should have cleared up in a week with the use of antibiotic drops. Most likely there is something else going on, perhaps a blocked tear duct, depending on where the swelling is (allergies tend to affect both eyes). Please bring your child to the doctor, or at the least, call the dr's office of who originally saw your child and let them know what is happening, as sometimes these infections can be serious.

Hi M.,

I also hate dealing with pink eye. My girls have had it and caught it in pre-school. I found that the (normal) pink eye can burn and itch and clears up pretty fast once on antibiotics. Only recently my oldest daughter got the allergy form of pink eye and it was a whole different story. It took much longer to clear up.....over a week. Honestly I felt it was closer to 2 weeks, since she is 5 yrs they gave her the drops and also had me give her benadryl which helped a lot. She got it from sleeping at gma's who smokes and has down featers in her bedding. I would definatly guess it is the allergy form for your child and hope it clears soon. Keep washing any bedding he sleeps on, blankets ect.. and see what happens. Hopefully you won't have to get rid of the pets but it might come down to that! Good Luck!

Hey there - I too suspected that my child had an allergy when the doctor said it was pink eye (conjunctivitis). My doctor pointed out that if it were allergies, then BOTH eyes would be affected, not just one. Its hard to deal with pink eye sometimes - but it DOES go away, just try to be patient - change linens, washcloths, and any other things that baby may come in contact with over and over to try to prevent re-infection. Also, my baby used to wipe his eyes so I would clean his hands more often than normal so that he wouldnt put that bacterial infection on other things and pass it right back to himself. Lastly, keep in mind that when taking most antibiotics, doctors usually recommend taking the antibiotics for 10 days. You are doing all the right things - if you are still unsure, you may want to ask your doctor for an alternative antibiotic. Good Luck! :) M.

We have been dealing with this the last few weeks. My granddaughter, her dad and then myself.. You usually use the drops for 6 days. However, everytime you touch the eye, wash your hands. It is more irritating-icthy than anything. For the swelling use warm compresses. Clean the babies' bedding, blankets as a precaution.

S.

I don't think they can do much about allergies in an infant. If you're breastfeeding, breastmilk is a great medication for eye and ear infections. Doesn't always work but worth a try!

My kids have both had pink eye. It cleared up in about a day with anti biodics. It can be viral not bacterial...if so, it will take about a week and the drops won't help. I had horrible allergies as a child...and my eyes would swell and crust over. You can wash them with Johnson's baby wash (no tears).

I would go back to the Dr. Eye infections can be serious. If he is that allergic, you may need to get rid of the animals.

Pink eye is SO contagious... Yet not painful (at least in my experience). You say he goes to his dad's house on Mone-Wed-Fri and every other weekend - do you know for sure if his dad is being as vigilant to give the drops and making sure to keep everything clean? If he isn't, this could be why it's taking so long to relieve the pink eye...

It could be allergies as well but doctors can usually tell the difference between an infection and allergies.

Pink eye is nasty. You have to break the cycle. Wash bedding, towels, etc. in very hot water. Wash your hands when handling him. It is very contagious, and someone in the family could have given it to him. My eldest gave it to the whole family, including the dog, but he never got it. The medicine works fairly quickly, unless he also has blocked tear ducts. Go see a pediatric opthalmologist if there is no improvement. Environments with multiple children can be a breeding ground for pink eye.

Hi M.---I agree with others who've suggested you might need a different antibiotic drop for the eyes. And keep everything really clean. You'll probably be washing your baby's hands alot as the itching and crusting will cause him to want to touch them frequently.

I would also suggest that you maybe keep him from his dad's house for a time...just until things clear up and then you can also determine if the animals there are contributing to the problem. It'll be hard to seperate the two possibilities until one of them is cleared.

Would you be interested in knowing how to balance your son's immune system so that he is both more able to fight infections when exposed, AND make it so that his little body is not so sensitive to allergens? I am taking a series of wellness classes, taught by a Naturopath who has her PhD in nutrition, and one segment of study is on how food can strenghten and balance the immune system. This means that allergies are much less problematic, and maybe even eliminated, for those who have them.

I love to help others learn how to optimize their health. I do not charge for any 'consultation' that we might have. I share what I've learned, give you some info and websites to check out and then we go on from there.

I wish you luck and I look forward to talking to you. In health, D. ###-###-####

Pink eye is crusty - not allergies usually. Check again with the doctor, but it is possible he has allergies as well. I was neurotic about my son touching eyes after touch his nose/ mouth. If anything, he could be reinfecting himself.