Dark circles under the eyes...

My son Nicholas seems to have dark circles under his eyes. My sister actually thought he had a black eye! He wears glasses, so it's not always noticeable. But his glasses broke(FOUR WEEKS AGO!), so I really notice it on a regular basis. Is this normal? I look at the other two, and under their eyes are normal color. His just seem dark and almost like they are black eyes. Anyone else?!? Is he missing some vitamin? Is it just who he is? They have their three year appointment on Monday, so I will ask then too. TIA!

 

Not sure about your little one, but one of my boys has noticeable dark circles under his eyes, and that's how we found out he had allergies. The ped said it is common in children with allergies so that was our explanation. He's not always all stuffy, sneezy or anything, but once he started on nasacort (or whatever nasal spray that is) the circles look a lot better. Not sure if that's helpful, but that's what caused my son's dark circles.

 

It could be from anemia or allergies, or it could just be the way he is. Alice has serious dark circles when she wakes up and right before she goes to sleep, and while she's sleeping. She also has a bluish tinge to her skin, as opposed to Royce's pinkish tinge to his skin. (She's less ruddy than he is)

 

Hmmmm...allergies. Wouldn't have thought of that! I don't think he has allergies. Could be anemia I suppose. I will see what the pedi says on Monday and maybe have his iron checked while we are there. Thanks ladies!

 

I notice them with DS when his allergies are acting up. Good luck with the pedi appointment!

 

Lila is the same way. I have always kind of ignored it since she seems to feel okay, but the anemia thing concerns me a bit now that Bex said that. L&L both eat NO meat of any kind. Maybe I should talk to the doctor next time I see her. Let me know what you find out, Meaghan!

 

Will do! And yes, Nicholas seems to be my self-imposed vegetarian. He eats almost no chicken(except of course chicken nuggets). It seems to be a texture thing I think with him. But he will eat chicken wings-right off the bone! And that included BUFFALO wings! Imagine that! Quirky. Oh-and he loves steak(which we never have). I can't believe he rarely eats chicken, but gobbles up steak. Go figure.

So yes, Monday I will talk to the pedi about it. I hope I remember! LOL!

 

They are called "allergic shiners" and are typically found in children with allergies.

 

My DD's allergist always comments about how the circles are common for kids with allergies.

 

Hmmmm....OK. So most all of you mention allergies. How do I know?!?! He doesn't seem like he has any allergies to me! No runny noses, sneezing, etc. It's now fall, soon to be winter. We have a dog, Beagle. No real carpets except upstairs in their bedroom and our bedroom. But kitchen, living room, dining room are all hard wood floors. There is a small carpet in their playroom. Am I missing something?

 

I was thinking allergies, too. My son's allergist says that is an indicator of allergies and he was highly allergic to many things when he was younger (grown out of most of it now). Both of my girls have the dark circles and they seem to be suffering from allergic symptoms, but not nearly to the extent my son did.

 

Lila has no allergy symptoms at all. :huh:

 

Do they have asthma or get REALLY bad coughs when they get colds? (RSV when infants) Have you ever had to treat them with albuterol? Do they have eczema? These are allergies also.

 

No asthma. Nicholas got one bad cough a few months back. No RSV. No eczema. Albuterol once(few months back). Can't wait to see what the pedi says!

 

The "allergic shiners" everyone keeps referring to are definitely a possibility, but it's also something we people who work with sick kids call "Sick Eyes". It's common for kiddos who are sick to get the dark circles under their eyes, just like with allergies. Being that he's the one battling the tummy bug, my guess is it's one & the same. He'll probably pinken back up as soon as he feels better ! I'd still mention it to your Ped, but I'm guessing it's nothing serious. (Side note: Conner gets HORRIBLE dark circles under his eyes when he's sick....Aiden never does--and Aiden's my allergy kid!)

Keep us posted!

 

Good luck! Keep us posted!