How to manage and prevent eye injury in children

Eye injuries need to be treated strictly because open wounds from penetrating objects can quickly lead to infection, threatening vision.

>>> Handle when children have eye injuries

Proper and timely first aid can make a significant difference in treatment results, increasing your chances of preserving eyesight.

Identification signs

Small objects or fluids can get into the eyes, making them feel uncomfortable or sore. Parents found that their eyes were red or they had to close their eyes, unable to open them. However, it is not always that babies will report to their parents about eye problems. Think of eye injury when your baby shows signs:

- Restless, unstable.

- Cause pain inside or around the eyes.

- Tears flow.

- Cover your eyes or eyes with one hand.

- Difficulty moving eyes.

- One eye looks different from the other.

- Eyesight suddenly decreased.

- Tearing skin in the eyelid or around the eyes.

- See the blood inside the eye.

- There are bruises on the eyes or around the eyes.

- Aim to interrupt one eye.

- Do not tolerate glare.

If you suspect your baby has an eye injury, you should take your child to an eye specialist or take your baby to the nearest emergency room, even if the injury initially does not look serious. Some serious eye injuries may not be obvious from the start, slow treatment can make the injury worse, causing permanent vision loss.

Children should be taken to an eye examination if they see severe eye pain or persistent pain.(Photo: Nam Phuong)

Classification of injuries

Here are some common eye injuries in children:

- Objects in the eyes: dust, sand, wood chips, insects . creeping into the eyes.

- Scratching cornea: due to nails, sharp objects, branches and rake.

- The wound struck: the ball hit the eye, was punched or elbowed into the eye.

- Piercing or bleeding wound: due to sharp tools such as scissors, pencil .

- Chemical burns: household chemicals shot in the eyes.

To solve

General principles

- Small and shallow injuries usually do not need treatment and the wound will heal after 48 hours. Do not allow children to touch or rub their eyes, without eye compression, as this may worsen injury. If after 48 hours the situation does not improve, you should see a doctor.

- In case of piercing wound, do not seek to remove sharp objects stuck in the eye.

- Do not apply ointment or other medications to your eyes. These medications may not be sterile and cause the eye to become slippery, making it difficult to see a doctor.

- Take your child to the eye doctor immediately if you have any concerns.

Handle when children have foreign bodies in their eyes

- Do not rub your eyes, do not use paper or cotton to remove foreign objects as this may cause an eye infection, push the object into deeper or cause scratches the cornea, cornea.

- Blink a few times and let the tears push the object out.

- If you have not done so, you can help your child pull the upper eyelid to cover the lower eyelid, leaving the lower eyelid to remove dirt from the inside of the upper eyelid.

- Put your baby on his back and reassure him. Use your baby's fingers to widen his eyes, eye drops with physiological saline or eye wash medications. You can also gently wash your child's damaged eye with clean water from a bottle or bottle, slow water from the tap or soak the young eye in clean water. Avoid spraying water straight into the face, making her scared.

- If the dust still does not come out, ask your child to close his eyes or lightly bandage on both sides to limit eye movement, minimize injuries, and take him to the doctor.

Handle when corneal scratches, conjunctiva

Scratching the cornea, conjunctiva is a common injury, often caused by scratches from nails, plants or toys. Shallow drainage in the cornea often heals quickly. However, deeper scratches may come with a risk of infection. If the child is sensitive to light, eyes become red or blurred, they should be taken to the doctor immediately.

Handle when there is eye injury caused by a stroke

Injuries caused by balls hitting the eyes or being punched, being elbowed into the eyes can cause swelling, bruising in the eyes or eyelids. Mild bumps can also cause significant eye damage.

Apply immediately to the injured eye area to relieve pain and reduce edema, absolutely do not press hard on the affected area. Do not force cold ice directly on the eye as this makes the wound worse. You can use a cold pack or ice pack in a towel and apply for 15-20 minutes, repeat every 1-2 hours. After 48 hours, alternating cold and hot packs.

If the eye is still painful or appears blurred, even after a slight stroke, it is important to get the child to see a doctor immediately to rule out internal injuries.

Handle piercing or bleeding wounds

Use a paper cup on your injured eye to protect your eyes.(Photo: Howstuffworks)

- Do not rub your eyes.

- Do not wash eyes with water or other solutions.

- Do not seek to remove objects stuck in the eyes.

- Put the baby on his back and reassure him.

- Put cotton pads around the affected eye. Place a paper cup or plastic cup above the eye, resting on the cotton pads. Use a medical bandage or a clean, slightly wrapped towel around your head, covering it over the cup. Absolutely no bandage, no pressure on the cup as this can cause serious eye injury.

- Do not allow your child to drink or eat anything, just in case anesthesia is needed to manage the wound.

- Avoid using painkillers such as aspirin or ibuprofen because these drugs may increase the risk of bleeding. Furthermore, the pain associated with this type of eye injury is often very intense, it cannot be relieved by conventional painkillers. Don't delay taking your baby to the hospital by waiting for the pain reliever to work. Take your child to the eye clinic right away.

Managing wounds caused by chemical burns

Chemicals that accidentally hit the eyes can cause red eyes, pain, and burning. Immediately wash eyes with clean water to remove chemicals. With young children, lay your baby on his back and reassure him. Use wide-eyed fingers, rinse your eyes continuously for at least 15 to 20 minutes with slow running water from a cup, flask or faucet. Remind him to roll his eyes continuously to increase eye wash efficiency.

If an older child has an eye injury, ask him to sit down in the basin or sink, head tilted to one side so that the injured eye is lower than the healthy eye. Use clean water to wash injured eyes. In case both eyes are damaged, ask the child to tilt his head back and clean both eyes with clean water, pouring water from the bridge of the nose to the eyes.

If there is a shower, warm water can flow gently over the forehead or just above the injured eye, using wide-eyed fingers. Do not rub your eyes, do not bandage your eyes or use eyepatch. Call the poison center for advice. Take your baby to the emergency room, bring a bottle of chemicals.

When to see a doctor right away:

- Severe eye pain or persistent pain.

- Can not remove the object from the eye.

- Vision decreased.

- Bleeding inside the eye.

- Eye pain when coming out of bright light.

- Deep tear around the eyes.

In general, in severe cases, parents should not intervene much but should immediately send the child to a medical facility. When you don't know the cause of the injury and wonder how to handle it, it's best to apply a sterile gauze pad or a clean sheet to the injured eye area and take your baby to the doctor immediately.

Prevent eye injury

Most eye injuries can be prevented if safety principles are followed:

- Choose toys suitable for your age.

- Avoid toys with sharp objects such as archery, throwing darts or dangerous toys like fake bullets.

- Watch closely when children play games or toys that can be dangerous.

- Instruct children to learn how to safely use items that could be dangerous, such as pencils, scissors, rubber bands, coat hooks .

- Use safety gates at the foot of the stairs or adjacent to the stairs of each floor, to prevent children from falling stairs causing eye injuries.

- Cover sharp corners of tables and cabinets.

- Lock all drawers and cabinets that children can reach.

- Keep household cleaners out of the reach of small children.

- Among children under 4 years old who are bitten by dogs, up to 15% of cases have eye injuries. These dogs are usually familiar with the child, if the baby is bitten by the same dog for the second time, the injury is often worse than the first. Therefore, after a family has a dog bitten by a child, it is necessary to immediately move the dog away.

Doctor Tran Thu Thuy