“Why are my son’s eyes burning?”
My son is 5 years old and has been complaining of burning eyes. I have tried washing his eyes with rose water and even cold water but every day he is complaining of a burning sensation in his eyes. What should I do?
7 Answers
Dry eye in children is an extremely rare entity and is usually associated to autoimmune disorders. Most children with suspected dry eyes have allergic conjunctivitis. If your child has dry eyes, he needs a complete ophthalmological evaluation by a pediatric ophthalmologist.
He might have allergies, don't wash the eye with rose water or water, you need to have appropriate drops for the eyes. Try over-the-counter lubricant drops and if it's related with playing outside, try allergy drops.
Your son could have eye allergies to pollen and/or animals. He should see a pediatric ophthalmologist and possibly an allergist.
You should bring him in to see an eye doctor. There can be many causes of burning eyes.
There are several possibilities, including allergies, dry eyes, a corneal disorder that causes dry eyes, or maybe he has pain of juvenile iritis. An exam by an ophthalmologist with a slit lamp (a type of microscope) would likely reveal the answer.
It's a bad idea to self medicate with rose water which may contain contaminated with bacteria. Only use sterile solutions on the eyes. Burning from allergy or infection or foreign body should be seen and confirmed by an eye doctor before treatment.
Shilpi Pradhan
Ophthalmologist
Thanks for your question. Please see your eye doctor for further diagnosis and treatment. If your son is working on mobile devices (iphone, ipad, tablets), please limit his screen time to 15-20 min at one sitting as too much screen time can cause dry eyes and burning as well.
