Handle when children have eye injuries

You can treat minor eye damage yourself by washing with water jet, but many more severe injuries require medical attention.

Eye damage - often preventable - can cause blindness, so when in doubt or negligence in dealing with eye damage in children, quickly call your doctor for help.

* When the child's eyes are damaged due to everyday causes such as sand, dust, foreign objects outside the eyes:

- Wash hands carefully before turning eyelids up for inspection or before washing eyes.

- Do not let children touch, press or rub their eyes, and try to keep children from touching their eyes (with young children, a towel can be used to prevent them from rubbing their eyes).

- Try not to take any object by washing it under water, because there is a risk of scratching the surface of the eye, especially the cornea.

- Tilt the baby's head on a small basin, let the infected eye dip into the water and gently pull the lower eyelid, encouraging the eyes to widen. With an infant or small child, ask a second person to keep the baby's eyes open when you wash the child's eyes.

- Gently pour warm water (water is not too hot) from a jar into the infected eye. It is also possible to use sterile saline solution to wash children's eyes. Wash for 15 minutes, examine the eyes every 5 minutes to find if the object has fallen out.

Because a small object can also scratch the cornea and cause an infection, the eye should be checked by a specialist if the eye remains swollen after being washed. In case it is impossible to remove the object by washing with water, it is possible to take the child to an eye specialist.

* When the object gets into the eyeball:

- Quickly call for emergency.

- Cover the affected eye. If it is a small object, use a sterile eye patch or bandage. If it is a large object, cover the affected eye with a small, fixed cup. This will help avoid pressure on the eyeball. Keep the child (and you) calm and not too worried until the medical staff arrives.

* When chemicals fall into the eyes:

- Many chemicals, even chemicals around your home, can damage your eyes. If a child has a chemical that falls into the eye and you know what it is, look for it on the bottle to find the emergency number for instructions.

- Wash eyes with warm water for 15-10 minutes. If both eyes are infected, wash your eyes under the shower.

- Call the medical center for proper instructions. However, the first thing to keep in mind is not to delay the use of water eye wash.

T.VY ( According to KidsHealth )