My Toddler Woke up With Swollen Eyes: 11 Reasons That Can Cause Eye Swelling in Toddlers
“Hi doctor, my toddler woke up with swollen eyes. Is it serious?”
Sometimes, this might be the scenario where you’re asking the doctor about your having a toddler’s swollen eyes.
It can be due to some common reasons and some serious reasons.
Common reasons: In most cases, they don’t need any treatment. The symptoms might arise from simple and harmless sources like crying for hours or toddlers rubbing their eyes. These reasons may not require treatment.
Serious reasons: But things might get difficult if the reasons are allergies, insect bite, a blocked tear duct, or even chalazion. However, your toddler requires treatment if one of the above reasons were to cause swelling.
As a parent, it’s normal to feel concerned when your child wakes up with a Swollen eye. But if you know their reasons, you’ll know what to do and what not to do. So, here’s help.
Scale of Eye Swelling
There are three different types of swelling based on the severity of the condition.
Mild Swelling: This swelling causes the eyelids to look puffy. But your kid can open their eyes as if they are normal.
Moderate: moderate swelling makes the eyes puffier. But children can still open their eyes partially.
Severe: Eyelids get swollen and stay almost shut
11 Reasons Why Your Toddler Woke Up with Swollen Eyes
There are many reasons why your toddler woke up with swollen eyes. The human body produces tears in the eyes to cleanse them throughout the day.
In the day, we blink away those tears. But, at night, the tears are stored in the tissues around the eyelids. So, when your child wakes up, they have eyes that look like a bump. This is the most common reason why they have a swollen eye.
However, other reasons can be far more serious. A few of them include the following –
1. Rubbing Eyes
Children — toddlers most often — tend to rub their eyes. It can make their eyes look swollen and bigger. The histamine reaction caused by rubbing the eyes makes your toddler’s eyes swollen when they wake up. They can also feel itching when waking up with a swollen eye caused by rubbing.
2. Stye or Chalazion
Another reason why your child has a swollen eye is because of chalazion. Blocked oil glands in the eyes are the reason for the swelling. Common skin infections or infections like seborrhea cause chalazion. Such changes often happen because of the bacterial infection. It appears like a small pea-sized lump on the eyelids. A chalazion is also often called a meibomian cyst.
3. Insect Bites
Insect bites can cause eyelids to swell. Sometimes, even ant bites can cause itching. If your little one gets bitten by mosquitoes or ants, their eyes will appear swollen when they wake up. When the tear ducts are swollen, the eyes look swollen. However, this may or may not be insect bites. Check for other marks of bites in your toddler’s body to confirm.
4. Allergies
If your little one has allergies to pollen or pet dander, it can cause their eyes to swell. You can also see them constantly rubbing their eyes because of the itching. The symptoms of allergies also include pink eyes, sneezing, runny nose, or other symptoms related to allergies.
If allergies are causing the swelling, find out the allergens and protect them from allergies. You can talk to your doctor and identify the elements your little one is allergic to. You can use a cold compress to reduce the swelling.
5. Blepharitis
Your kid can also have swollen eyes because of Blepharitis. This is a condition that happens because of bacteria overgrowing on the margins of the eyelids. Also, your baby’s eyelids can look scaly, red, irritated, and swollen. You can wash the eyes using warm compression and soft and gentle massage to reduce the swelling.
6. Blocked Tear Ducts
Blocked tear ducts can also lead your little to swollen eyes. This can also lead to complications like conjunctivitis. As a result, toddlers may have swollen eyes, which will look watery and have yellow to white discharge coming out of their eyes. When their eyes are infected, you can offer gentle massage to unblock the tear ducts. However, full recovery will take time, and they will need prescribed medicine and ointments.
7. Conjunctivitis
If your toddler wakes up with swollen eyes, it can be due to conjunctivitis. This is also called pink eyes. Suppose they have viral conjunctivitis; this may cause watery discharge to come out of their eyes. In case it’s bacterial conjunctivitis, your little one will have goopy, crusty, and sticky discharge coming out of their eyes.
8. Contact Dermatitis
When irritants reach the area surrounding your eyes or encounter the skin around the eyes, it can cause swelling in your eyes. If your toddler meets some dermatitis, it can cause an allergic reaction, making your eyes swollen. Make sure to also check other parts of your eyes to see if you have similar irritations.
9. Anaphylaxis
On a serious note, if your child wakes up with a swollen eye or swollen face, it can very well be because of Anaphylaxis. One of the most serious reasons for eye swelling is anaphylaxis. This can cause your toddler’s face to swell as well. If this is the reason why they have swollen eyes, you need to get them to the doctor and get their eyes checked.
10. Cellulitis of the Eye
Another serious condition is called cellulitis of your toddler’s eyes. This happens because of an infection or inflammation of the eyes. It can also happen if there is an injury around the eyes and have any bacterial infection in that area. This condition requires prompt medical conditions.
11. Edema
Edema is a swelling that happens because of fluid retention. This kind of swelling starts with the feet. This is something that happens due to kidney or liver failure. So, if you have Edema, this can be very well because of Cellulitis of the Eye.
When to Visit a Doctor?
Your toddler woke up with swelling eyes and now you’re wondering whether to visit the doctor or is it too early. If they only have swelling, this may not be something serious. But, on a serious note, if other symptoms accompany swelling, you may have to contact the doctor as soon as possible. If your child is facing something else, like an insect bite or swelling, then it’s best to visit the doctor as soon as you can.
But if you are thinking exactly when to visit the doctor when the child has a swollen eye, then look for these signs –
- A fever.
- Swelling elsewhere.
- Swelling from injury, face, head, etc.
When your baby has chronically swollen eyes, it might be the time to call your doctor. This includes also a mild swelling as well. But if the swelling seems normal and goes away on their own, they may not need medical attention.
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