conjunctivitis - do I take DS to the GP straight away or wait a day?

[BikeBug]

I never used to need the GP myself, always been offensively healthy, so I'm a bit at sea with all this appointments lark! Is conjunctivitis in an 11 month old urgent or routine???

DS has a pink and sticky eye today. I went to ask a pharmacist what to do and she said see a GP. My GP is a branch surgery and until 4pm the phones are just put through to the co-operative, for 'urgent' cases only. 'Routine' appointments have to call back after 4pm. I think it is 'routine' but am worried no-one will see us today and the pharmacist said it will just get worse. Do I make a fuss or wait and see?

Take her straught away as well as being very contagious and being able to contmainate the other eye it is very unomfortable and upsetting to kids.I left my conjunctivitis untreated a few years ago as I thought it was minor and it ended up quite serious.

Personally I'd ring the surgery and ask whether they consider it an urgent case or not. FWIW when dd has a sticky eye I tend to bathe it for a day or so and take her to the Drs if it hasn't cleared up that way.

call at 4pm for the appointment

it could be viral but it's impossible to tell - I always think it's better to let the doctor have a look where eyes are involved (especially when he's so young)

you can gently clean the stickiness off with cooled water (previously boiled) or breast milk if you're feeding. Make sure you use different cotton wool if you clean his other eye.

Good luck.

The drops that they give are available otc now they are called chroramphecil?or something like that

think they won't dispense them to the under 2s or 3s (something like that!)

Go to your pharmacist. They'll be able to have a look and sell you the drops. If they think it needs to be seen by a doctor, they'll tell you. If its conjuctivitis chloramphenicol drops will do the trick.

go, my dd had it a few times last year and she was at nursery at that time and I had to take her out as its very contagious, it could be passed to you or other family members if not treated, hope your ds is ok

thanks all! The pharmacist said chloramphenicol - DS has had them before because he has a blocked tear duct that gives him a sticky eye sometimes (but that's the other eye and the drops don't help with that at all). Foxinsocks is right - pharmacists can't dispense them to someone as little as DS. I'm just fretting because this obviously itches, and I know it is horribly infectious. I'll take the advice and wait till 4 - I'm sure if they think it is urgent they will squeeze him in at the end of surgery. Can't believe what a tizz I get in over this, I'm blase to the point of negligence over my own health.