Patient's question:
My relative's child, a newborn, who is 12 days old, developed an issue with their left eye yesterday morning. Today morning, it was found that their right eye also has a similar problem. I'm particularly worried. The little one has red eyes and eye discharge—what should I do?Doctor's answer:
Hello! According to the description, this may be related to neonatal dacryocystitis (also known as congenital dacryocystitis). This occurs when the membrane remaining at the lower end of the nasolacrimal duct does not contract during development, or is blocked by epithelial debris, leading to the obstruction of the nasolacrimal duct, trapping tears and bacteria in the lacrimal sac, which causes secondary infection. First, conservative treatment is recommended: applying antibiotic eye drops locally, while massaging the lacrimal sac towards the nasolacrimal duct 2-3 times a day, which may be due to congenital membranes or epithelial debris. When this method is ineffective, lacrimal duct irrigation can be used to break through the blockage. If it still doesn't work, lacrimal duct probing should be considered.