Treating red eye with betel leaf, a 6-year-old child with severe conjunctivitis had to be hospitalized for an emergency

May 27, 2022 13:32 GMT+7

Cao Bang Provincial General Hospital has just received a 6-year-old patient with a sore left eye, accompanied by swollen left eye and a lot of tears.

The patient’s family said that around 3pm, he had pain in his left eye, then accompanied by edema. The family used betel leaves to wash his eyes but it didn’t help. The pain and swelling are getting worse. At this time, the family took the baby to the hospital for examination. Through examination, the doctors diagnosed her with allergic conjunctivitis and had to be treated.

Betel leaf is not used by many people as an antiseptic “medicine” (illustration image).

In this case, doctors recommend that, once an eye allergy has been determined, the allergens present in the eye should be removed quickly. In addition, patients should absolutely not rub their eyes with their hands because this will inadvertently trigger mast cells to release more, making the disease worse. It is also possible to relieve symptoms such as itching and swelling of the eyelids and help stabilize immune cell membranes with cold therapy.

Absolutely do not wash or use folk medicine to apply to the eyes. In case the allergy symptoms do not improve, it is necessary to see a doctor to be treated with other more effective methods.

When using prescription drugs for treatment, patients need to adhere to the exact amount of medicine and use that the doctor has recommended, avoid arbitrarily using or abusing the drug.

In the event that an allergic reaction occurs when using eye drops, the patient must stop the drug immediately and bring the drug to a medical facility for guidance and to choose another more suitable drug change.

N. Huyen