Where There Is No Doctor 2011 223
INFECTION OF THE TEAR SAC (DACRYOCYSTITIS)
Signs:
Redness, pain, and swelling
beneath the eye, next to the nose.
The eye waters a lot. A drop of pus
may appear in the corner of the eye
when the swelling is gently pressed.
Treatment:
♦ Apply hot compresses.
♦ Put antibiotic eye drops or ointment in the eye.
♦ Take penicillin (p. 350).
TROUBLE SEEING CLEARLY
Children who have trouble seeing clearly or who get headaches or eye pain
when they read may need glasses. Have their eyes examined.
In older persons, it is normal that, with passing years,
it becomes more difficult to see close things clearly.
Reading glasses often help. Pick glasses that let you see
clearly about 40 cm. (15 inches) away from your eyes.
If glasses do not help, see an eye doctor.
CROSS EYES AND A WANDERING OR ‘LAZY’ EYE
(STRABISMUS, ‘SQUINT’)
If the eye sometimes wanders like this, but
at other times looks ahead normally, usually you
need not worry. The eye will grow straighter in
time. But if the eye is always turned the wrong
way, and if the child is not treated at a very early
age, she may never see well with that eye. See
an eye doctor as soon as possible to find out
if patching of the good eye, surgery, or special
glasses might help.
Surgery done at a later age can usually straighten the eye and improve the
child’s appearance, but it will not help the weak eye see better.
IMPORTANT: The eyesight of every child should be
checked as early as possible (best around 4 years).
You can use an ‘E’ chart (see Helping Health Workers
Learn, p. 24‑13). Test each eye separately to discover
any problem that affects only one eye. If sight is poor in
one or both eyes, see an eye doctor.