pink eye?

[lmh2402]

DS woke this morning looking not well

both eyes looked swollen and dark circles underneath

he woke in a raging tantrum, which is never a good sign - so something is clearly off

i finally got close enough and could see his left eye was a bit pink, but not a ton

right eye wasn't discolored to my quick inspection

he finally calmed enough to say his eye hurt.

i gave him tyelnol

kept him home from school and we'll go to the pedi later

but wondering if this could be pink eye? i remember it from when i was a kid - my eyes were always really red and very runny

i don't see discharge from his eyes

and neither eye looks particularly red right now

but they look swollen and he just seems off

i don't think it's allergies - he's not sneezing or coughing and nothing is running

he was complaining that his belly hurt yesterday and his poop was kind of funny

so maybe some sort of virus bothering him?

thx?

[Ceepa]

Hard to say.

If you're going to the pediatrician this afternoon I would wait to see what comes from the appt.

[TwoBees]

It doesn't sound like bacterial pink eye, but could be viral. The dark circles and puffiness sound like allergies.

[marymoo86]

The dark circles and puffiness sound like allergies.

:yeahthat:

My DD had this earlier. If no discharge and he has what sounds like allergy shiners (dark circles under eyes), it is most likely due to allergies. Cleared up in 2 days with children's claritin. I wouldn't treat with abx without presence of mucus crusties or signs of fever that would generally accompany viral pink eye.

FWIW my DH and I both get this and eye drops clear it right up. I think there are some that can be given for ages 3 and up. Alaway by B&L is one.

[lmh2402]

:yeahthat:

My DD had this earlier. If no discharge and he has what sounds like allergy shiners (dark circles under eyes), it is most likely due to allergies. Cleared up in 2 days with children's claritin. I wouldn't treat with abx without presence of mucus crusties or signs of fever that would generally accompany viral pink eye.

FWIW my DH and I both get this and eye drops clear it right up. I think there are some that can be given for ages 3 and up. Alaway by B&L is one.

ugh

i'm confused!

he's already on children's claritin for spring season - takes every day through june

no fever

he is now insisting that his eyes do not itch or hurt - he is PETRIFIED of eye drops, so i'm fairly certain this is b/c he thinks i might try to put eye drops in his eyes

he says the right eye is a little runny, though i don't see it. and that's the eye that hasn't been red at all

so strange

[pinkmomagain]

Agree that it could be allergies. Honestly my dd2 is on Allegra, Zyrtec, Advair, Nasonex simultaneously and has gone through 3 different eye drops to get her eyes under control. There are lots of different eye drops... OTC and rx. See what the ped says.

Other advice that I got from the allergist: limit outdoor play, keep windows closed, shower and wash hair when he comes inside and remove clothes worn outdoors immediately, keep hands and face washed frequently and keep hands away from face. Avoid rubbing eyes at all cost. Also, wearing sunglasses outdoors helps keep the pollen out too.

Good luck!

[marymoo86]

ugh

i'm confused!

he's already on children's claritin for spring season - takes every day through june

no fever

he is now insisting that his eyes do not itch or hurt - he is PETRIFIED of eye drops, so i'm fairly certain this is b/c he thinks i might try to put eye drops in his eyes

he says the right eye is a little runny, though i don't see it. and that's the eye that hasn't been red at all

so strange

So sorry! DD doesn't like them either but will tolerate it if she is allowed to "put drops in my eyes" first.

The abx treatment is eye drop so you won't have much luck there. Typically the allergy meds will clear it up if allergy related. That is usually the first line of defense. Then it is allergy eye drops. Viral/bacterial are both treated with abx eye drops.

This was helpful for me to figure out if it was allergy:

http://www.seattlechildrens.org/medical-conditions/symptom-index/eye-allergy/

[BabyBearsMom]

When my girls get pink eye their eyes have a ton of goop and usually get stuck shut. Their eye lashes are caked with gunk and it takes a lot of time with a warm wash cloth to get them to open. Once open, the whites of the eye are very noticeably pink/red. What you are describing sounds more like what my kids get when they have a cold or if they sleep funny (one time DD1 slept with her face on her hands and her eyes were a little swollen the next day).