In the first few months after the baby is born, he does not have tears, even if he cries. This is due to the fact that the tear ducts and tear fluid in the baby are still forming.

If you notice your baby has clear tears or purulent discharge, this is a reason to seek advice from a specialist. Normally this shouldn't happen.

Why do the eyes water in 1, 2, 3 month old babies and older infants, what to do in such a situation, what preventive measures eye diseases can this be done in a newborn baby?

Main reasons

Newborns and babies under one year of age may experience watering in one or both eyes. Watery eyes may be temporary or permanent. In the latter case, one cannot do without medical intervention. Why do a child who is 1-2 months old and older have watery eyes? What is the reason?

When a baby's tears appear from one eye, this is explained by a number of factors:

If your child has tears coming from both eyes, you can add mechanical injuries, conjunctivitis viral nature, eczema damage. Sometimes, if one or two eyes are watery in a baby 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 months or older, this may be the result of a child's reaction to inclement weather conditions - cold or wind while outdoors.

Then, upon returning from the street, the tears from one or both eyes disappear. In this case, there is no serious cause for concern.

When lacrimation in an infant becomes constant and the usual methods of home response do not work, the origins of the problem lie in physiology.

This is what happens when there is a blockage. tear ducts. Only a qualified doctor can identify the disease.

Excessive lacrimation from the baby's eyes indicates the possibility of developing a serious disease. Required timely diagnosis and medical intervention if the child “cries” for a long time.

But first, observe whether the production of tears in the baby is accompanied by the following symptoms:

• slight swelling near the eye;
• souring, especially after sleep;
• redness of the eyes.

If these signs are detected, there is a high probability of contracting an infection.

Then hurry up and consult an ophthalmologist or pediatrician, who will refer you to to the right doctor who will examine and prescribe treatment.

How and how to help a child

At home, you can pay attention to increased eye hygiene in infants. It is enough to wipe the eyes with a sterile cotton swab soaked boiled water or strong tea leaves. Everything else is only as prescribed by a doctor.

Once the diagnosis is made by a specialist, measures are taken:

• Detecting ocular abnormalities requires surgery.
• When found foreign body in the eyes of the child, doctors remove it. Then you need to rinse with chamomile decoction.
• In case of development of eye diseases or allergies, medications prescribed by a specialist are taken.
• If the problem is blockage of the tear ducts, massage is done. His technique is selected by a doctor.

Do not delay the treatment of lacrimation in a child, so as not to aggravate the disease, otherwise the inflammatory process will become more active as the microflora changes.

What you should never do

It is dangerous to start self-medication. If you do not have a medical education, you are unlikely to be able to accurately determine what caused the disease and how to deal with it.

If you infant and children under 9-10 months, as well as over 1 year old, have one or two eyes watering, you should not seek advice on forums or websites. What works for someone else will not always work for your child.

Do not put ointment in the baby's affected eye., even if it was recommended by a good friend or local pharmacist.

Until the specifics of the pathology are established, do not take hasty measures. Rinsing the eyes with potassium permanganate or applying a compress is unnecessary.

If a two-month-old baby or older child has a watery eye, and the lacrimation does not go away either on the first or second day, do not delay visiting the doctor in the hope that everything will go away on its own.

If a viral environment is to blame, pathogenic microorganisms multiply quickly, and urgent intervention is necessary. Try not to panic.

You will find important information about the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases in children on our website. Read these articles:

Preventing tearing in newborns

Infants are at risk of contracting the disease due to the fact that the fragile body continues to adapt to external environment. To avoid undesirable consequences follow simple recommendations. The disease is easier to prevent than to treat.

To prevent your newborn's eyes from watering:

1. Don't forget to maintain hygiene. Wash your baby. Gently dry your baby's eyes with a towel moistened with water.
2. During care, make sure that the child does not rub his eyes or pick them with his fingers.
3. Protect your baby from drafts or strong winds. Don't walk outside in windy weather.
4. Keep your baby's room tidy.

When found obvious signs abnormalities in the child, consult a doctor, do not expect that the lacrimation will go away on its own.

The first months after the birth of a child and the period up to a year are a touching and risky time in the life of a baby.

Eyes are one of the vulnerabilities at the baby at this moment. If they water for a long time, this indicates the need to consult a doctor.

Timely intervention and a therapeutic course of treatment will allow you to return your health to normal and restore purity and radiance to children’s eyes.

Obstruction of the nasolacrimal duct is a problem that affects about 5% of newborns. This congenital pathology It can go away on its own, even before seeing a doctor. Such cases are not reflected in these medical statistics. Simply nothing is known about them. Every twentieth baby who is diagnosed with this is a case where the blockage did not go away on its own. One way to cope with the problem is a special massage of the lacrimal canal. The famous pediatrician Evgeniy Komarovsky talks about how to do it and what should be taken into account.

About the problem

At normal structure eyes eyeball When blinking, it is wetted with tears. This protects the organs of vision from drying out and provides visual function. The tear, so necessary in this process, is produced in the lacrimal gland, accumulates in the lacrimal sac, where it enters through the canaliculi. Other ducts (nasolacrimal ducts) exist to allow tear fluid to drain through the nasal cavity. A good example- this is sniffing while crying.

If the lacrimal or nasolacrimal ducts are obstructed, the outflow is difficult. As a result, the child often develops signs of conjunctivitis. Parents, unaware of the true causes of the disease, treat the child with antiseptics, wash the eyes with tea leaves, and so on. This gives relief - albeit temporary. Then the eye inflammation returns.

Dacryocystitis (this is scientific name problems) can be unilateral or bilateral. It is not inherited and does not depend at all on the gender of the child. In both boys and girls, blockage of the tear ducts occurs with the same frequency.

If the problem is not solved, then the child faces purulent conjunctivitis (quite real), as well as decreased or even irreversible loss of vision, phlegmon of the lacrimal sac.

Treatment

Conservative treatment prescribed to children first. One of the most successful methods is massage in the projection of the lacrimal canal. Antiseptics are used for treatment. If treatment does not help until a certain age (in ophthalmological practice this is usually 7-8 months), eye doctors recommend that parents surgery to remove excess film that interferes with normal tear production. A probing procedure may be prescribed to restore the patency of the closed lacrimal canal.

Evgeny Komarovsky is sure that in 99% of cases the problem can be solved without surgery, the main thing is not to be lazy and learn how to properly do the massage necessary for this illness.

How is this done?

Evgeniy Komarovsky considers eye massage in case of obstruction of the lacrimal or nasolacrimal duct to be the only gentle and effective treatment for babies up to one year old. Usually, the doctor says, this is quite enough.

Before starting the manipulations, mom needs to carefully remove all manifestations of manicure from her hands. Nails should be cut short so as not to accidentally injure the baby's eyes. You need to do a massage only with clean hands, you need to wash them hot water with baby soap, and then it is advisable to treat universal antiseptic- for example, “Miramistin”.

First you need to free the baby’s eye from accumulated stagnant secretions and pus, if any. To do this, take cotton pads or make tampons. Each eye has its own swab or disc; treating both eyes with one disc is strictly prohibited.

The treatment solution must be antiseptic. The decoction has these properties pharmaceutical chamomile, furatsilin solution (weak, in a concentration of no more than 1:5000). Using careful movements with a moistened swab, you should clear the eye of secretions (towards the bridge of the nose, from the outer edge to the inner).

Once the eye is clean, you can carefully begin massage manipulations. To do this, Komarovsky advises using your index finger to feel the tubercle located in the inner corner of the eye, at the junction with the bridge of the nose. This is the lacrimal sac. The finger should be moved slightly above this point and make 8-10 movements downwards, towards the nose, along the anatomical path of the nasolacrimal canaliculus itself. There should be no pauses between movements, let them follow one after another.

Komarovsky advises applying light pressure on the lacrimal sac itself with vibrating movements and only then lowering your finger down.

One more nuance: all movements should be directed strictly from top to bottom, and the last (tenth) movement should be in the opposite direction.

At the first movements, pus may appear that has accumulated in the lacrimal canal. If this happens, you should stop and remove the pus as described above using an antiseptic. Then you can continue the massage procedure.

The procedure can be repeated 5-7 times during the day. IN acute stage disease, the massage course lasts at least 14 days. For recurrent eye inflammation, massage can be made a permanent procedure and given to the child daily (1-2 times).

You will learn how to massage the tear duct in newborns from the following video.

Children are big, but pleasant chores and a big responsibility. First of all, parents are responsible for ensuring that the baby grows up healthy. And, of course, any changes in the baby’s condition are especially worrying for moms and dads, since the baby himself cannot yet say anything and all that remains is to observe his behavior and what symptoms he suddenly has. It also happens that the eyes begin to water profusely, even without visible reasons. But in fact, there may be several prerequisites for the occurrence of this symptom. What to do if your baby's eye is watering? How to react to this?

Symptoms

Tearing in children, and even in adults, does not appear just like that. Sometimes, of course, it should not cause panic, when tears suddenly appear go away on their own - there is nothing to worry about and, most likely, it was just a temporary phenomenon. But sometimes lacrimation, if it does not go away within a short time, can signal the development of some disease, sometimes very serious.

If a child has ARVI or influenza, along with traditional symptoms of these ailments there is lacrimation

What symptoms should parents be alert to when lacrimation occurs:

• increased body temperature;
• difficulty breathing;
• suppuration in the eyelashes or corners of the eyes;
• redness of the eyeball;
• photophobia;
• The baby rubs his eyes, which indicates the occurrence of;
• swelling of the eyelids.

All these symptoms may appear at once, or they may appear together with lacrimation according to 1-2 signs. But in any case, they signal that it is time to go to see a doctor or call a doctor at home.

Attention! If the baby has a significant temperature in combination with a number of these symptoms, then you should not take him to the hospital and once again take him outside. It is better to call your local pediatrician. If the temperature rises strongly, it is recommended to call an ambulance.

Possible reasons

What diseases can these symptoms signal? Some of them are dangerous to the health and life of the child, some are easily treated. But in any case, you should not rely on washing your eyes with chamomile decoction and making a diagnosis yourself - it is better to have a doctor prescribe treatment and determine the pathology.

Table. Causes of lacrimation in infants.

Disease/Cause	Information
Conjunctivitis	This disease may be caused by exposure to pathogenic microorganisms or viruses. It should be borne in mind that conjunctivitis in small child can develop very quickly because immune system he is still quite weak. Conjunctivitis can develop either simply due to dirt getting into the eyes, or as a result of a number of viral diseases such as influenza or due to inflammatory processes.
Diverculitis or canaliculitis	These diseases/pathologies are characterized by problems with the tear ducts. For example, a change in shape, elongation or inflammation, as well as protrusion.
Foreign body	As a rule, when a foreign body enters the eye, lacrimation will occur from that eye. In addition, redness may be noted, and the child will begin to rub his eyes and cry.
Cyst or tumor	Unfortunately, tumors can appear even in the smallest child, both malignant and benign (polyps or papillomas).
Eye injury	Usually, it is not just injury to the eye, but damage to the lacrimal canal for some reason that can contribute to the occurrence of lacrimation. As a rule, this happens due to inaccurate rinsing or when probing the lacrimal drainage pathways during any procedures.
Allergy	Anything can cause an allergy. But usually its symptoms are not only copious discharge tears, but also nasal congestion, as well as frequent sneezing. Your baby may be itching his eyes a lot.

Watery eyes can also be a symptom of a number of problems with nervous system(usually one eye waters) or occurs due to temperature changes environment. For example, if a child was taken out of warm home outside in cool weather. In the latter case it is simple defensive reaction body and there is nothing to worry about.

Note! If the eyes begin to water in babies 2-6 months old, then most likely the symptom is associated with problems with the tearing process.

It's important to remember that if lacrimation occurs for a long time, then this is a reason to start worrying. The fact is that excessive moisture in the eyes and the area around them can change the microflora, and because of this, in turn, a number of inflammatory processes can easily develop.

Dacryocystitis

But we cannot fail to mention one more disease that can cause excessive tearing in a baby. Usually in this case there is redness, suppuration and excessive moisture in only one eye. This disease is called dacryocystitis. But you shouldn’t be scared - this is a fairly common pathology in children and can be treated.

Dacryocystitis is an ophthalmological disease caused by inflammatory processes, flowing in the nasolacrimal canal. It usually affects babies no older than 1 month. The disease develops due to the formation of a gelatinous plug in the nasolacrimal canal - it is created while the child is still in the womb, and is designed to prevent amniotic fluid from entering the lungs. Typically, as soon as the baby is born, the plug breaks with the baby's first click and the tear duct opens to allow tears to wash the eyes, clearing them of bacteria.

But such a breakthrough does not always happen; tears begin to accumulate and stagnate. Arises favorable environment for the development of bacteria, which is why acute dacryocystitis develops. Without proper treatment, it will develop into a chronic form.

If you want to learn more about what it is, and also look at treatment and prevention, you can read about it in our new article.

Diagnostics

If signs of dacryocystitis appear, it is important to contact pediatric ophthalmologist. The doctor will perform a visual examination of the eyelids, assess the condition of the lacrimal openings, may use a slit lamp, and also prescribe special tests– taking a tubular or nasal sample. If necessary, the baby may be referred for examination of the nasal cavity. endoscopic method when washing and probing the lacrimal pathways is performed. An x-ray may also be needed.

Attention! If there are any complications, the child may need computed tomography heads.

Treatment

The doctor will definitely prescribe treatment. As a rule, it consists of a massage of the lacrimal sac. The doctor himself will show you how to do it. The massage is performed with cleanly washed hands, and the nails should be cut short. Also, in addition to this, the specialist will note the importance of maintaining hygiene. At home, you can wipe your baby’s eyes with sterile cotton swabs moistened with clean boiled water or tea.

Important! You cannot use eye ointments on your own without an ophthalmologist’s prescription. Drops for dacryocystitis are useless.

If massage and hygiene do not help, the child may be prescribed canal probing. The procedure is not dangerous and is carried out in outpatient setting.

Lacrimal sac massage

Step 1. It is necessary to wash the hands of the person who will perform the massage well beforehand.

Step 3. The little finger or index finger needs to be drawn from the inner corner of the eye along the nose several times, applying some pressure. Up to 15-20 movements are performed.

Step 4. After this, you need to make several of the same movements, but in reverse side- from the wing of the nose to the corner of the eye. Light pressure is also applied. Up to 15-20 movements are performed.

Step 5. If pus or tear fluid is released during a massage, it is recommended to remove all this with a napkin.

Step 6. The massage must be repeated at least 4-5 times a day, approximately every 2-3 hours.

Video - Massage of the lacrimal sac

Treatment of conjunctivitis

If large number tears occurred due to conjunctivitis, then the doctor may prescribe eye drops. Usually - two types at once, anti-bacterial and anti-bacterial viral conjunctivitis. Certainly, viral form The disease may go away on its own within 5-7 days, but once again it is better not to take risks and get treatment. Bacterial conjunctivitis can only be cured with antibiotic drugs.

As for allergies, they are treated by completely eliminating the allergen and using antihistamines. Only a doctor should prescribe them to a child.

Note! You can alleviate the child’s condition by wiping the eyes with tampons moistened with chamomile decoction. But the disease cannot be cured this way.

If your baby's eye is watering, then do not panic - it is important to monitor his condition and, if there is no improvement, consult a doctor. It is the specialist who will be able to determine the real reason lacrimation and prescribe the treatment that will help cope with the symptom.

Dacryocystitis is an inflammation of the lacrimal sac, and the disease most often occurs in newborns. It is worth noting that the production of tears in infants begins from the 2-3rd month of life.

Causes of dacryocystitis

Lacrimal fluid is produced by the lacrimal gland, then it enters the conjunctival cavity, from which it passes through the lacrimal canaliculi into the lacrimal sac, from where the tears flow through the nasolacrimal duct into the nasal cavity. The lacrimal sac is located at the inner corner of the eye, and the nasolacrimal duct has many folds that prevent infection from entering from the nose. In newborns, this canal is short - about 8 mm (in adults, its length ranges from 14 to 25 mm), in addition, the valves of the canal are underdeveloped, which creates favorable conditions for infection to enter from the nose.

In the womb, the exit hole of the canal is closed by a film, which normally breaks through immediately after birth, with the first breath. If this does not happen, then the child develops inflammation of the lacrimal sac - dacryocystitis.

Dacryocystitis can also occur against the background of narrowing of the nasolacrimal duct, its blockage with dead cells and mucus, or against the background of abnormalities in its structure. That is why dacryocystitis occurs especially often in newborns. If in the first weeks after birth the patency of the canal is not restored on its own, then microflora joins in, as a result of which inflammation develops.

The development of dacryocystitis in children is also predisposed by structural features or congenital anomalies structure of the nasal cavity childhood which can interfere with the outflow of tear fluid from the lacrimal sac, as well as frequent rhinitis.

Symptoms of dacryocystitis

Dacryocystitis is distinguished:
spicy;
chronic;
newborns.

Impaired patency of the lacrimal ducts is manifested by lacrimation, lacrimation, aggravated by the wind, or with concomitant ARVI in one, but more often, in both eyes. After some time, a small painless protrusion may appear at the inner corner of the eye; when pressed, a mucous discharge appears, and after a while a purulent discharge appears. This symptomatology is characteristic of dacryocystitis in newborns and chronic dacryocystitis in older children.

Symptoms of dacryocystitis in newborns. The arrow indicates inflammation of the lacrimal sac.

If left untreated, pain, redness with translucent yellow contents, and swelling in the area of ​​the lacrimal sac may occur, i.e. Acute dacryocystitis may develop. With the development of inflammation, further suppuration occurs, temperature rises, headaches appear, and phlegmon of the lacrimal sac develops, which can independently open to the surface of the skin.

Diagnosis of dacryocystitis

To make a diagnosis, the doctor, when analyzing complaints, finds out the time of appearance of discharge from the eyes, lacrimation and lacrimation, how the symptoms changed over time; what treatment was carried out and for how long, at what age it was started. Be sure to ask your doctor to show you the technique for massaging the lacrimal sac.

• During an external examination, the doctor determines the presence of lacrimation or lacrimation (provided calm state child), the presence or absence of a protrusion at the inner corner of the eye, examines the skin in the eyelid area: the presence of redness and swelling; assesses the condition and position of the eyelids (in particular the costal margin), the growth of eyelashes, pays attention to the presence and condition of the lacrimal openings, evaluates the nature of the discharge when pressing on the area of ​​the lacrimal sac. By the nature of the latter, one can presumably determine the type of infectious agent. The volume of discharge can be used to judge the size of the lacrimal sac.
  After squeezing out the contents, color tests can be carried out.
• The tubular test helps evaluate the suction function of the lacrimal openings, lacrimal tubules and lacrimal sac. To do this, 2 drops of 3% collargol are instilled into the eye. Normally, the color in the eye should disappear within 5 minutes - positive test. If the color disappears within 10 minutes, this indicates a slowdown in the outflow of tear fluid, while complaints of lacrimation and lacrimation are common - a slow test. If the dye lingers in the conjunctival cavity for more than 10 minutes, then the test is negative, and the outflow of tears is significantly impaired.
• A nasal test helps assess the patency of the entire lacrimal drainage system. To do this, 2 drops of 3% collargol are also instilled into the eye. A cotton wool is inserted to a depth of 2 cm from the entrance to the nose. The appearance of paint on it within 5 minutes after instillation indicates normal function lacrimal ducts - positive test, within 10 minutes - delayed test, i.e. there is an outflow, but it is somewhat slower; the appearance of paint later than 10 minutes indicates a lack of outflow and indicates complete violation patency of the lacrimal drainage system - the test is negative.
• When performing color tests on a baby, he should lie on his back. When they are carried out, the child, as a rule, screams, and it is more convenient to observe the appearance of paint on back wall throats. The interpretation of the results is identical to that for the nasal test.
• Mandatory laboratory test discharge, in order to identify the pathogen and determine sensitivity to antibiotics.
• TO additional methods studies include endoscopy of the nasal cavity, probing and washing of the lacrimal ducts, which are used not only for diagnostic, but also for therapeutic purposes.

Also, when examining a child with dacryocystitis, it is necessary general analysis blood and consultation with a pediatrician, in order to exclude concomitant ARVI, allergies or other diseases.

Treatment of dacryocystitis

Treatment of dacryocystitis is aimed at restoring normal patency of the lacrimal ducts, relieving inflammation and disinfecting the entire lacrimal drainage system. It needs to start as early as possible.

Massage for dacryocystitis in newborns

For dacryocystitis in newborns, treatment usually begins with massage of the lacrimal sac. The mother of the child must master this technique exactly, otherwise the massage will be in best case scenario not effective. Proper massage leads to full recovery in 1/3 of children under the age of 2 months, in 1/5 of children aged 2-4 months, and in only 1/10 of children over 4 months. To carry out the massage, you need to wash your index finger right hand carry out 5-10 jerky vertical movements from the inner corner of the eye towards the wing of the nose without reaching it, while pressing soft fabrics to the bone, as if squeezing the contents into the nasal cavity, while it should not be squeezed into the eye, which is unacceptable. Circular movements in the area of ​​the lacrimal sac are also unacceptable. Massage should be carried out 5-6 times a day before feeding. After the massage, the prescribed drops are instilled, but not breast milk or tea, etc., because this can only worsen the course of dacryocystitis. But, if redness, swelling or swelling appears in the area of ​​the lacrimal sac, then massage in this case is strictly contraindicated.

Drug treatment of acute dacryocystitis

In acute dacryocystitis it is indicated dry heat, UHF on the lacrimal sac area, antibiotic therapy (both local and general). When softening, opening and drainage of the abscess is indicated. For dacryocystitis, disinfectants and antibacterial agents are used.

To begin with, in order to clean the conjunctival cavity, it must be washed with either a chamomile decoction or a furacillin solution.
Antibiotic therapy directly depends on the results of microbiological examination of the discharge and determination of sensitivity. As a rule, in 95% of cases, the causative agent in newborns is staphylococcus, less often - streptococcus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. From antibacterial drugs Tobrex and Vigamox have proven themselves well; children over 1 year old often use Oftaquix; Also, for dacryocystitis, antibiotics such as chloramphenicol 0.3%, gentamicin 0.3% can be used. But ciprofloxacin drugs are contraindicated for newborns. The use of albucid is extremely undesirable because, firstly, the drug causes a burning sensation when instilled, and secondly, it is characterized by crystallization, which can further complicate the outflow of fluid into the nasal cavity. A modern antiseptic drug is Vitabact, which has antibacterial activity against staphylococcus, streptococcus, E. coli, Klebsiella, chlamydia, etc. If several drugs are prescribed, the interval between instillations (instillations) should be at least 15 minutes.

If correct execution massage for 1-2 weeks does not lead to recovery, then probing of the lacrimal ducts is necessary. Best age for this procedure is 1-3 months. In this case, the embryonic plug is mechanically ruptured using a special probe. The procedure is performed under local anesthesia. Often for full recovery For patency, one such procedure is sufficient, but sometimes double or even multiple probing is required. With later probing, the effectiveness of treatment decreases. The probing procedure itself should be carried out by an experienced doctor. Immediately after probing, the lacrimal ducts are washed.

After probing, it is prescribed for 1-3 months drug treatment and repeated washings are carried out.

If there is no effect from repeated probing in children over 5 years of age, tubes are introduced into the lacrimal ducts, which can remain there for up to 2 years. If treatment is ineffective, it is carried out complex operation– dacryocystorhinostomy, which can be performed externally (with a skin incision) or through the nasal cavity, the latter being the least traumatic.

Chronic dacryocystitis is treated only surgically (dacryocystorhinostomy).

Ophthalmologist E.A. Odnoochko

Before birth, the baby's tear ducts are closed with an embryonic (rudimentary) film, which prevents amniotic fluid from penetrating into them. As soon as the baby is born, the film breaks through and the eyes begin to “work” as they should. But in about 5% of children this does not happen, and after short time problems begin. If you consult a doctor at the stage of stagnation of tears, you can avoid complications, including swelling and suppuration. If the tear is cloudy, the eyelids “stick together”, and when you press on the corner of the eye, a purulent mucous substance is released - all the more time to rush to the doctor: pediatrician, otolaryngologist, ophthalmologist.

To clarify the diagnosis of obstruction of the lacrimal canal in an infant, the doctor performs the so-called Vesta test: instills a harmless solution of a dye - collargol - into the eyes. Cotton wicks are inserted into the spout. If colored spots appear on the tampons within 10-15 minutes, the nasolacrimal ducts are functioning as they should.

After diagnosis, the doctor will prescribe treatment, and a special massage that will help clean the canals and avoid their re-clogging can be done at home.

What you need to know to give a massage correctly

Massage helps a lot initial stage treatment of children diagnosed with dacryocystitis. There is nothing particularly complicated about massage techniques. If you know the rules, everything will work out great. Just remember that massaging a child’s face requires caution and you should not put in significant effort. And, of course, under no circumstances should you influence the eyeball.

Fact: it is easiest to “break through” the gelatinous plug in the nasolacrimal duct when the child is crying, since the tension creates the necessary internal pressure.

The main features of lacrimal duct massage in newborns:

• period - 2 weeks;
• frequency - 5-6 times during the day, before feeding;
• method - index fingers;
• character - jerky;
• direction - from the corners of the eyes to the wings of the nose.

Before starting the massage, wash (ideally, disinfect) your hands thoroughly and pay attention to your nails - they should be as short as possible so as not to discomfort child. During the procedure, you can also use thin sterile gloves.

Step-by-step massage technique

An ophthalmologist from a children's clinic can show you massage techniques - this will help avoid complications, and good result procedures are said by everyone who has been helped by massage of the lacrimal duct.

How to massage? Quite softly, but at the same time without stroking - this is wrong. As reviews from parents who consulted with their doctor show, stroking movements only stretch the lacrimal sac and worsen the situation, that is, the discharge is “stored” in the canal. The movements should be quite sharp, jerking, towards the wings of the nose. It is this technique that helps complete cleansing eyes, especially if pathological contents have already accumulated in it.

To visualize exactly how to make movements, look at the massage of the lacrimal canal in newborns in pictures. But step by step description actions.

1. Warm up the furatsilin solution - make sure that the temperature matches body temperature.
2. Place your child on a flat surface so that it is comfortable for both him and you.
3. Pad index finger lightly press on the inner corner of the eye (lacrimal punctum), turning your finger towards the bridge of the child's nose.
4. Lightly squeeze the lacrimal sac to release mucous fluid.
5. Using a pipette, drop the furatsilin solution into the eye.
6. Use a sterile cotton swab to remove discharge from the eye. It should not get into the other eye or ear!
7. Continue pressing and sliding along the spout - movements from top to bottom should be repeated 10 times.
8. Make one vibrating movement from bottom to top (i.e. in the opposite direction).
9. At the end of the procedure, you can drip a disinfectant 0.25% solution of chloramphenicol into the eye.

If the lacrimal canal is still closed by the embryonic film, these actions will break through it, and the pathological contents can be removed from the canal. Breakthrough of the rudimentary film and/or release of the gelatinous plug occurs not due to the mechanical action itself, but due to pressure drops in the channel.

If the procedure does not help

Massage rarely becomes the main means of treatment. Only with its help can you completely get rid of the problem only in 10-15% of cases. Thus, prerequisites- constant medical supervision and prescription of appropriate medications.

By the way: discharge from the lacrimal sac is sent to bacteriological examination to determine which antibacterial eye drops you will need. It is better not to use albucid (sodium sulfacyl), which is familiar to many: it may crystallize, and it will further block the tear pathways.

If there is no improvement after two weeks, you no longer need to carry out home treatments so as not to complicate the situation. The only thing that can help in this case is probing the lacrimal canal, that is, piercing the film with the thinnest probe. This operation is performed on an outpatient basis and is not painful for young children. To avoid repetition adhesive processes, you need to learn how to massage the lacrimal canal in newborns. The procedure will need to be carried out for another week after probing.

If even piercing with a probe does not work, it means that the blockage of the lacrimal canal is due to a deviated nasal septum, possibly - improper development nasolacrimal duct or other reasons. One way or another, specialists will determine how further treatment will proceed.