Conjunctivitis

[lyssie29]

My DD is 16 months and has got conjunctivitis for the second time since Christmas. I couldn't get an appointment at docs the first time round and bathed her eyes using cotton wool and warm water and it went away after a few days and it didn't bother her. She's now got it again. I've been told I need to get cream for her or it won't go away is this true? I just thought as long as I keep it cleaned then the infection will run its course and it'll go away. I can never get appointments at the doctors they're terrible and by the time I get one it'll have gone anyway. Do I really really need steroid cream? Or does bathing it do the same thing anyway?

You can get drops from the chemist, you don't need to see a GP. Wiping the eyes clear with bicarb in boiled water also helped us until the chemist opened. The drops, Brolene I think, work really quickly.

The advice on conjunctivitis seems to have changed. When my dd1 was a baby we had to go to the GP every time and she had to stay away from nursery. Dd2 had it a few weeks ago and the nhs website said to just clean the eyes and there was no need to stay off school or work. We ended up getting Golden Eye drops from the chemist which worked really quickly.

@BurningGubbins as she's under 2 the pharmacy won't give her drops unless she has a prescription.

@ProYaffle I read that too on the NHS website. My eldest is 3 and had it also at Christmas and the person who said I definitely need the cream or it won't go away told me my dd needs to stay off nursery but it says on the NHS website it's ok. So confusing! She made me feel like a bad mum for not taking my youngest to the gp with it even though cleaning them the last time worked fine. She said because I didn't get proper cream that the infection is still there but she hasn't had it for about 2 months so it can't be the same infection can it?

I've had the same re the age in the past. Have to admit I went to a different pharmacy and said it was for dh and got some that way!

The person you spoke to is obviously out of date. That was the advice 13 years ago when dd1 had it but it's changed now. School office were surprised too but confirmed their guidance was that dc don't have to stay off or have medication now.

My under 1 year old has had the drops from the chemist in the last month with no problem. I guess different places have different rules.

@BurningGubbins I'll give another one a try then this one was Boots and they refused to give her anything.

DS (15 months) gets it every time he has a cold. It's viral rather than bacterial so boiled water and getting over the cold are apparently all that's needed. According to gp drops are only needed for bacterial conjunctivitis and you can tell bacterial if the white of the eye is red.