Hailstone in young children

General

A hailstone (Chalazion) occurs much less often in small children than a stye, but a stye can turn into a hailstone in the course of the healing process and persist chronically.

The therapy is difficult with small children, because they rarely leave the hailstone alone, but keep fingering it so that the inflammation worsens.

causes

A hailstone in children and adults is not primarily triggered by bacteria, but rather by inflammatory processes in the environment. An existing so-called stye can develop into a hailstone, for example in children. In addition, hailstones in children can be caused by eyelid inflammation. This means that the eyelid gland, the so-called meibomian glands, produce too much secretion and become inflamed as a result. As a result, the increased secretion and inflammatory processes can clog the duct of the eyelid gland. This can create a hailstone in the eyelid.
In addition, skin diseases in children can affect the function of the meibomian glands. A child's metabolic disorder, for example type 1 diabetes mellitus, can also cause hailstones in a child. Rarely, a tumor of the eyelid causes a hailstone.

Duration

In children, the healing of the hailstone may be delayed compared to adults. The healing process can often take a few weeks, as it is more difficult for children to “don't touch” and to adhere to the hygiene measures. If a hailstone becomes infected or lasts for several weeks, pediatric treatment is recommended. If necessary, treatment with an antibiotic ointment suitable for children and / or eye drops containing antibiotics for children is necessary in order to shorten the duration of the healing process or to enable a general healing process.

treatment

Operational can be removed a Hailstone in children, but later due to the not yet completed growth there is a Eyelid distortion possible. The operation is performed on young children in general anestheticwhich is a heavy burden on the young organism. For these reasons, surgery should be avoided for as long as possible and another therapy should be used instead:

• red light,
• antiseptic / disinfectant Eye drops / ointments and
• homeopathy.

OP in children

If an operation cannot be avoided, an attempt is made to relieve both the child and the parents as many fears as possible. In children, the surgical removal of a hailstone is carried out under general anesthesia. The parents will be informed about this in a preparatory meeting. It is recommended to playfully prepare the child for the operation. For example, the teddy bear may have a hailstone that is then treated with the help of a doctor's case. During the operation, the parents stay with the child until the anesthesia works. After the operation, they should be there in the recovery room so that the child will be the first to see their parents when they wake up.
The hailstone is opened by means of a small incision on the inside of the eyelid and the contents and the edges of the inner capsule are covered with a kind of "sharp spoon" away. Usually there is no sewing. A pressure bandage is applied, which must be worn for 1-2 days. The child may have eyelid pain after the operation. Also, the child's eye may swell and turn blue. Most of the time these after-effects of the operation wear off after a few days.

Home remedies

To improve the healing process of a hailstone in children, home remedies can have a supportive effect, especially in the early stages. Under strict supervision and maintaining a distance of 40 to 50 cm, the hailstone can be irradiated with a red light lamp with the child's eyes closed. This can be done in a playful setting in connection with a story, ideally always at the same time, 2-4 times a day with the children. The children should never be unsupervised with the red light lamp and their eyes must be kept closed.
Another or additional option is to use clean, moist, warm compresses. These can be prepared in eyebright or chamomile tea as required. Here, too, it is advisable to make a game or ritual with the children when the compresses are placed on the children's closed eyelids.
Some authors recommend regular cleaning of the eyelids with baby shampoo, heavily diluted with water. If you are unsure, you should always ask a qualified doctor.

homeopathy

Homeopathy aims to activate the body's self-healing powers and the use of homeopathic medicines is tailored to the patient's constitution. Consider taking the following homeopathic remedies for hailstones:

• Sulfur
• Staphisagria
• Graphites
• Pulsatilla.

The corresponding necessary potency of the means results from the constitutional picture of the respective patient. Experience has shown that the potencies C200 and C30 help particularly well in the case of hailstone, but a trained homeopath should be consulted.