What Are the Red Spots on My Baby's Eyes?

In the first few days after childbirth, it's normal to see red spots in your baby's eyes. There is nothing to worry about. When the baby leaves the birth canal, he suffers hemorrages. However, they disappear a few weeks later.

Does your baby have red spots on his eyes? In the first few days after childbirth, babies may go through some changes to their face or skin. Therefore, don’t be scared, especially if you’re a new mother.

During the first days after birth, it’s quite normal to notice small red spots on the whites of your baby’s eye. They’re caused by the compression babies suffer when they go through the birth canal.

Even if your body adapts and makes more room for your baby to come out, this channel is very narrow. For that reason, small little hemorrhages appear. 

However, you need to stay calm because they’ll disappear between the first and second week of life. If these spots do get worse, it’s best to go to the pediatrician.

What are the red spots on my baby’s eyes?

After childbirth, it’s common for small red spots to appear in your baby’s eyes. In the mucous membrane that covers the back of your eyelids and front of the eyeball, the conjunctiva, there are lots of small blood vessels that can break. This is what mainly causes the little marks.

However, it’s important to know how to differentiate these small hemorrhages from angiomas. These are reddish lesions from grouped small blood vessels.

About 8% of children have these during their first year. Then, that percentage drops to 1% when kids are two years old. Vascular lesions are more common then.

How and where do angiomas occur?

Hemangiomas are benign tumors that are common in childhood, and they can show up anywhere on the body. However, they most commonly develop on the eyes, nose, mouth, genitals and anus.

As for when they appear, they can appear from the moment you’re born or the first few weeks. In fact, the most common is the cavernous angioma.

This type is a group of abnormal blood cells that can be anywhere in the body. Generally, it’s deep and raised. In addition, there are two types: congenital and those that develop during childhood.

Some babies have congenital angiomas when they’re born, and can be in lots of shapes, places, and stages. As for the evolutionary angiomas in childhood, they usually look like just a lump on the skin.

At first, they’re so small that you can hardly see them. However, as time goes on, they grow and become bigger and bigger.

Hygiene and care that your baby’s eyes need

In addition to the small hemorrhages and angiomas, you need to be very careful with your baby’s eyes. Keep in mind that the eyes should be an important part in your child’s daily care.

You need to regularly clean your child’s eyes. Usually, babies wake up with their eyes glued by their tear ducts. This doesn’t have complications, but you need to be very careful when wiping them off.

To remove the eye crusts, you need to use saline. The best thing is to use single-use items so that you can be sure they’re always sterile. However, we don’t recommend using ointments or other products unless your doctor told you to.

Additionally, you’ll also need two sterile gauze pads, one for each eye. This way, you won’t infect the other eye if one has a small infection. We also recommend not using cotton, since the fibers can come off and irritate your baby’s eyes.

You don’t need to go to the doctor if your baby has gunk in his eye, unless there’s so much that it changes the color of his eyes. In addition, you may need to see the doctor if his eyes are very red.

As for the lacrimal obstruction, some babies are born with it. In fact, it’s a maturing problem called stenosis of the lacrimal ducts. For it to drain, you’ll need to massage that area. Listen to your doctor, and follow any other treatment he prescribes.

The obstruction should disappear soon. If it doesn’t work with this technique, you’ll need to open it up and use some saline.