In infants, the lower and upper eyelids may swell. Puffiness appears more often after a long rest, in the morning, dissolves quickly enough and does not cause worry. The eyes can swell in a child a month, a year and older children. The younger the baby, the more often the child's eyes swell after sleep, since the baby eats milk or mixture at night, which causes swelling of the eyelids. If the problem is troubling for a long time and is accompanied by other suspicious symptoms, this may be due to diseases of the eyes or internal organs.
Puffiness under the eyes of a child
The mechanism of edema
Swelling of the eyes in a child after sleep is a consequence of the accumulation of fluid in the lower or upper eyelids. Both girls and boys are susceptible to the disease, two eyes or one, lower or upper eyelid may swell. Often, the tumor will subside without any human intervention.
The mechanism for the appearance of swelling is as follows:
- The skin on the eyelid is very thin, it contains two layers. The anterior one consists of those muscles that, by contracting, cause blinking.
- The deeper layer is connective tissue, or cartilage, and the transparent membrane that covers the outside of the eyeball as well as the back of the eye.
- In the human body, 70% is water, it fills both the cells themselves and the intercellular space. If the latter is filled by one third with liquid, then edema appears.
- Due to thin skin, the face and eyelids are especially prone to swelling.
Important! Between the orbit and the eyeball lies a layer of periorbital tissue (or adipose tissue). It is she who begins to grow when the intercellular space is filled with excess water. The membrane protrudes outward, beyond the ocular opening of the skull, which is visually regarded as edema.
Possible reasons
If a child's eyes swell after sleep, there are two reasons for this:
- Physiological;
- Pathological.
Note! Most often, children have swollen eyes from the fact that they are tired, overworked, or this is a manifestation of an allergy to dust and food. This issue is decided by the parents themselves and consists in establishing a daily routine and nutrition.
Physiology
If during sleep the baby's head was below the body, then fluid accumulates under the eyelids. Some children are prone to edema, perhaps they inherited this feature from their parents. Doctors report that this problem goes away on its own as the child grows up.
There are other reasons:
- Injuries to the eyelids;
- Insect bites;
- After a strong sunburn and excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation;
- The crumb drank a lot of water or ate diuretics (for example, watermelon) foods before bed;
- Antibiotic treatment;
- Long TV viewing;
- Congenital features of the structure of the eyes.
Congenital ptosis
Pathology
There are over 20 such reasons. Some of them:
- Keratitis and blepharitis;
Manifestation of blepharitis
- Conjunctivitis and abscess of the eyelid;
- Demodectic mange and iridocyclitis;
- Emphysema or endophthalmitis.
Note. Also, the child's eyes may swell after sleep due to flu, tonsillitis, vegetative-vascular dystonia or hormonal disruptions.
Associated symptoms
Obvious signs are immediately noticeable - redness of the eyes, swelling, there are often cases of severe itching or even pain.
The temperature can often rise. If the fever is strong and prolonged, then this causes an increase in intracranial pressure and severe malaise in the baby.
When a tumor appeared for no reason and is accompanied by mucus from the nose, redness and tearing of the eyelids, it is most likely an allergic reaction.
Is there a danger in eye swelling
In the case when the child has a high temperature, he complains of pain in the head and problems with urination, it is necessary to urgently seek help.
In this case, the following are likely:
- Heart or thyroid disease. The swelling becomes stronger in the evening.
- Disorders in the kidneys and liver.
- Diseases of the sinuses (sinusitis or sinusitis).
- Diseases of the veins and lymphatic vessels.
- Allergic reaction, including Quincke's edema.
Quincke's edema
Additional Information. If the baby urinates often and there is blood in the urine, he has head and back pain, this indicates problems with the kidneys and urinary ducts. In the case of severe anemia and heart failure, the edema of the eyelids goes to the general edema of the whole body, especially the lower extremities.
Also, doctors pay attention to which eyelid is swollen. If the top, then there may be disturbances in the work of the stomach, heart, kidneys, sometimes oncology is diagnosed. If the lower one - the problem is not associated with inflammation in the body, but leads to diseases of the internal organs.
Diagnostics
If a child's eyes are swollen in the morning, you should resort to a medical examination by a specialist. The doctor will help identify hidden causes, if any, and also find out if the baby may have a predisposition to allergies.
Diagnostic procedures include:
- External examination of the child by a pediatrician and an ophthalmologist;
- Delivery of blood tests, urine, feces;
- If pathology is detected, additional examinations are prescribed.
When to see a doctor
If, in addition to edema, the following symptoms are detected, you should definitely consult a doctor:
- Increased body temperature;
- Lump in the eye tissues, which is easily felt;
- The eyelid began to fester;
- Profuse lachrymation.
Important! You should not self-medicate, especially prescribe eye drops on your own. So you can only increase the inflammation or bring the infection.
Doctor Komarovsky about eye edema
Evgeny Komarovsky, a Russian pediatrician, recommends not to worry ahead of time. If the swelling is not due to the characteristics of the child, it is worth calling a doctor. He will be able to prescribe a referral for the delivery of tests and, in case of suspicion of a malfunction of the kidneys, will direct him to an ultrasound of the genitourinary system. If abnormalities are found, the baby will be sent to a nephrologist.
The doctor also draws attention: if the ultrasound of the kidneys is good, then you should visit a cardiologist, do a cardiogram, ultrasound of the heart and blood vessels.
First of all, parents should be calm. If puffiness appears from time to time, then it is necessary to revise the child's day regimen, to establish sleep and nutrition.
Prevention
So that edema does not occur for physiological reasons, you should resort to a set of preventive measures:
- Align the daily routine and sleep (babies sleep from 10 to 12 hours at night, older children - at least 8).
- Sleep on a flat surface, without a pillow; before resting, be sure to ventilate the room.
Deep sleep for babies
- Every day to go out for a walk in the fresh air.
- Reduce the amount of fluids you drink before bed.
- Balance the diet: remove salty foods, artificial sweeteners, enrich the menu with vitamins and minerals.
When treating at home, you should:
- Several times a day, a gauze compress soaked in water is applied to the eyelids. Five minutes is enough.
- Protect the baby's eyes from direct sunlight, suggest wearing dark glasses in sunny weather.
- Try to keep the baby from crying for a long time.
- Track baby's sleep.
- Sharply limit or stop watching TV, gadgets and mobile phones altogether.
It is possible to speed up the healing process if you create comfortable conditions for the child: give him the opportunity to rest, encouraging active pastime, give a moderate mental stress, harden and devote more time to him during the day.
The reasons for the swelling of the eyelids can be physiological, natural disorders, and latent diseases of internal organs. If any pathology is detected, treatment helps, which is prescribed only by a qualified specialist.
