Blog
Childproof your home
A young mom brought in her 4
month old daughter with the story that two days prior, her 3 year old son had
sprayed Lysol into the baby’s face. The children had been under the care of the
father at the time.
There was no clear history of any immediate care such as irrigating the eyes. The infant was later taken to a medi-clinic and I saw the patient two days later.
The child mildly distressed and
opening her eyes for the first time that day. The eyelids were red and swollen,
the eyes themselves were beefy and watering and the central cornea were denuded
of large areas of tissue.
With some difficulty I was able
to remove some debris, apply a cortisone/antibiotic ointment and prescribed
appropriate pain medication.
The prognosis is guarded because
Lysol like most household cleaners, including bleach, contain alkali which is
very toxic to the eye. The alkali penetrates deep into the tissue
structures of the eye. This can cause corneal ulcers, glaucoma, but most
damaging of all is the formation of scar tissue on the outside of the eye. This
results in destruction of the mucus membranes including the lubricating glands
around the eye. Consequently the eyes become very dry, and the corneas cloudy
with blood vessel ingrowth. Normally the corneas are clear and allow light to
pass through unhindered. Any disruption of the cornea with scarring, dry eyes
or blood vessels can result in a variable amount of blindness.
One cannot stress enough the need
to be constantly vigilant when one has young children in your care. First and
foremost is the need to childproof your home. Lock up
household cleaners and anything that could be used as a weapon - even a wire
hanger!
Other eye injuries I have seen
while in practice include paintball injuries, scissors, bamboo and other
sticks, bungee cords and knife injuries. I once treated a 12 year old boy who
had a pencil shoot into his eye that was launched with a balloon - like a
catapult. This boy lost his eye after undergoing multiple surgeries.
Please share my concern with
friends and family.
The best treatment is prevention
- safety first!
