Where There Is No Doctor 2011 221
INFECTED EYES IN NEWBORN BABIES
(NEONATAL CONJUNCTIVITIS)
If a mother has chlamydia or gonorrhea (see p. 236), she
may pass these infections to her baby at birth. The infection gets
into the baby’s eyes and can cause blindness and other health
problems. If the baby’s eyes get red, swell, and have a lot of pus
in them within the first month, she may have one or both of these
infections. It is important to provide treatment immediately.
Treatment for gonorrhea:
♦ Inject 125 mg. ceftriaxone in the thigh muscle, 1 time only (see p. 359).
Treatment for chlamydia:
♦ Give 30 mg. erythromycin syrup by mouth, 4 times a day for 14 days
(see p. 359).
If you cannot test to find out which disease is causing the infection, give
medicines for both. The baby’s eyes should also be cleaned and treated with the
medicines listed below.
Prevention:
Many women have chlamydia or gonorrhea and do not know they are infected.
Unless the mother has a test to show that she does not have these infections, give
every baby medicine (see p. 378) in the eyes to prevent blindness:
• put a line of erythromycin 0.5% to 1% ointment in each of the baby’s eyes
within the first 2 hours after birth. or
• put a line of tetracycline 1% eye ointment in each of the baby’s eyes within the
first 2 hours after birth. or
• if you do not have erythromycin or tetracycline, put 1 drop of 2.5% solution of
povidone-iodine in each of the baby’s eyes within the first 2 hours after birth.
Some people use a 1% solution of silver nitrate (or other silver eye medicines) in
the baby’s eyes. These medicines stop blindness from gonorrhea, but they do not
stop blindness from chlamydia. Silver nitrate also irritates the baby’s eyes for several
days. If you can get erythromycin or tetracycline eye medicine, or povidone-iodine,
use one of them. But use silver nitrate if that is all you have.
If a baby develops gonorrhea or chlamydia of the eyes, both parents should be
treated for these infections (p. 237 and 359).
IRITIS (INFLAMMATION OF THE IRIS)
NORMAL EYE
EYE WITH IRITIS
Signs :
pupil small
often irregular
redness around iris
severe pain
Iritis usually happens in one eye only. Pain may begin suddenly or gradually. The
eye waters a lot. It hurts more in bright light. The eyeball hurts when you touch it.
There is no pus as with conjunctivitis. Vision is usually blurred.
This is an emergency. Antibiotic ointments do not help. Get medical help.