Eye Infections in Infants

Written by: Wahida Sabir

Some babies suffer from eye inflammatory disease after their birth. AEPO’s writer/producer has talked to some mothers and a physician about this disease.

A mother from Shakardara district, Kabul province says, “When I transferred my baby from the hospital to home after delivery, water and pus were discharging from his eyes.”

Abdullah, a resident of Kabul province says, “My baby eyes got red and pus comes out from her eyes.”

Doctor Najeeba, an eye specialist at Wazir Akbar Khan Hospital, Kabul city says, “Inflammation infants’ eye is a very common disease. When the mother notices that there is a lot of pus coming out of their baby's eyes and the redness of their baby's eyes is visible and the baby has a fever, they get confused.”

What do people think about the causes of this disease?

A mother from Kabul city says, “If hygiene is not observed at the place where the baby is born, and the baby's eyes are cleansed with dirty hands or dirty pieces of cloth, the baby’s eyes might infect.”

A woman from Qarabagh district, Kabul province says, “If the hands of the midwife are contaminated, and she touches the infant’s eyes, the infant’s eye might infect.”

Doctor Najeeba says, “During the passage of the baby through the birth canal while delivering, and if the birth canal is infected, it causes the infection of baby’s eyes. If not treated on time, it might cause the blindness of the baby.”

How do some people treat this disease at home?

A mother from Panjshir province says, “If my infant suffers from eye infections, I wash his/her eyes with the mixture of salt and water.”

Another mother from Qarabagh district, Kabul province says, “If our infant suffers from an eye infection, we drop mother's milk in his/her eyes.”

Doctor Najeeba says, “We reject such home medicines. These medications might cause to increase the infection. The mother can use sterilized cotton sold in medical stores. They could soak the cotton in a cold tea and clean their infants’ eyes and the mother should treat their infants’ eyes inflammation by an eye specialist, otherwise, the baby might lose his/her eyes sight.”