The following remedies are good in combination as follows:
Alum 3 grains
Sulphate of Zinc 2 grains
Distilled Water 1 ounce
Mix and drop one drop into the eye two or three times daily. A weak solution of tea can be used also as a wash. Anoint the lids at night with white (tube) vaselin.
[350 MOTHERS' REMEDIES]
INFLAMMATION OF THE EYE OF NEWLY BORN (OPHTHALMIA NEONATORUM).—This is a severe inflammation of the conjunctiva in the new born infant, usually due to a discharge from the mother and it is characterized by a discharge of pus.
Causes.—Mild cases may come from a less violent form of infection from the mother's discharge from the vagina, or from outside causes. The majority of the severe cases is due to a poison (the gonococcus infection).
Symptoms.—The first symptoms are swelling and redness, usually of both eyes, usually occurring a few days after birth. Soon the discharge appears and shortly becomes creamy pus, which runs from the eyes when the swollen lids are partly opened. As the disease continues to advance, the membrane of the lid is thickened, red and velvety looking and the conjunctiva (membrane) in the eye is swollen, puffy and watery.
The disease may last from two to six weeks or longer.
If the pus is not cleaned from the eye, the cornea may look dim and ulcers may appear. If the ulcer eats through the cornea the iris is apt to be caught in the opening and in the scar resulting from the ulcer. The cornea may later bulge and protrude or the disease may involve the whole eye in an inflammation which may destroy it.
The result generally depends upon how soon treatment is begun. If attended to early the great majority of cases recover. It is serious to neglect early treatment for this disease. It causes a great many cases of blindness and generally the cases are neglected too long. Treatment must begin before the disease begins. Immediately at the birth of the child, when if there is any poison in the eye due to a discharge in the mother's vagina, it can be immediately cleansed.