Eye Injuries and Children

Children can get into all kinds of scrapes and situations, but one of the most terrifying kinds of injuries is one that affects the eyes. There are several kinds of eye injuries that a child can have. For instance, you have minor eye irritation wherein a small particle like hair, dust, or soap can enter the eye and cause some pain.

Dealing with this kind of eye problem is easily done at home with water. Make sure to use lukewarm water, never hot in flushing out the foreign body. You should also never try to wipe the object off the eye with a towel or napkin. This is because it could irritate or damage the cornea and cause a more serious eye problem.

A more serious eye injury would be if something penetrates the eye. Initially, you should cover the area with a cup to prevent anything else from irritating the eye, and possibly causing an eye infection. Do not remove the object on your own. You will need to bring the child to an emergency room where a trained medical expert can professionally apply the right eye treatment.

Older children may come home with a black eye, a contusion, or an eye injury from a blunt object. Treating these will depend on the situation. For instance, a black eye may only be trauma to the eye and superficial. On the other hand, it could also include a head trauma or a serious eye injury like hyphema which is bleeding in the eye area. The problem with hyphema is the damage it could cause to your cornea and vision.

Glaucoma, or too much pressure in the eye is another possible effect from a black eye. To make sure that the black eye is not more than a bruise, bring your child to an eye doctor as soon as possible. Immediately, the eye treatment you can provide would be to apply a cold cloth over the affected area. You can do this by getting some ice and wrapping these with a towel. Never apply the ice directly over the affected eye. Watch out for continuous eye pain, increasing redness, vision changes, or a change in the appearance of the eyeball. You can also give acetaminophen as part of your eye treatment, but avoid ibuprofen or aspirin because these can cause more bleeding.

If any household chemical should get in contact with your child’s eyes, it is important to flush the eyes with lukewarm water as soon as possible, then seek medical assistance to avoid eye infection. An eye doctor will be able to help your child more quicker if you can provide the name of the chemical, or even bring a sample with you when you go to the emergency room.

In the case of eye injuries to children, it is always safer to seek medical attention than to wait for it to get worse. In many cases, eye injuries is a preventable injury, so if you have children around the house, take all the necessary safety measures. If they are into sports, provide them with adequate eye gear to protect them for any serious eye injury.