Hand Disinfectant That Hurts Your Child’s Eyes: Know Some Ways to Keep Your Child Safe During a COVID Pandemic

New Delhi: Prevention of COVID-19 by following a variety of measures is touted as one of the few ways to stay safe, starting with COVID-19, a disease caused by a new coronavirus, also known as SARS-CoV-2. Away. Hand hygiene is important to keep illnesses such as COVID-19 away. Because our hands are carriers of such pathogens, from the surface to the nose and mouth, where the virus can enter the body and cause disease. Frequent hand washing and the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers are recommended to prevent COVID-19. However, recent studies have shown that hand sanitizers damage people’s eyes, especially children’s eyes.

Recent reports have reported chemical damage to children’s eyes as a result of accidental invasion of hand disinfectants into children. Studies have shown that hand sanitizer dispensers in public places are at high risk of exposing infants to dangerous chemicals. According to data from the French Poison Control Center, the number of cases of exposure to toxic chemicals reported between April and August 2020 was seven times higher than the cases reported during the same period a year ago.

At the same time, 16 children were admitted to the Paris Pediatric Ophthalmology Hospital. This is because drops of hand sanitizer are visible in the eyes compared to one boy in 2019. In two severe cases, surgery was required to transplant the tissue into the cornea.

According to the researchers, the patient had to be hospitalized for a child under the age of four. This is almost waist-high for adults, whereas the height at which disinfectant dispensers in public spaces are placed is waist-high for infants.

“It is not surprising that infants will be attracted to these dispensers due to the widespread use of hand sanitizers in public places today. Many of them facilitate contact with hand sanitizers for young eyes. Seems to have been inadvertently designed, “says Dr. Kathryn. Corby, an ophthalmologist at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine, in a commentary accompanying the study.The study was published in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology On thursday.

According to a French database, hand sanitizers accounted for only 1.3 percent of all chemical eye exposures in children in 2019. The number will be 9.9% in 2020, and most cases are said to be mild.

Studies show that the greatest risk for children can come from dispensers installed in public places. In 2020, there were 63 exposures in public places, but no reports were made in 2019.

Many hand sanitizers contain high levels of ethanol, which can kill cells in the cornea, increasing the risk of serious eye injury in young children.

A similar study published in the same journal describes Indian doctors. They detail the case of two children who accidentally sprayed a hand sanitizer into their eyes with serious consequences. The 4-year-old complained that he couldn’t stand to see the light, but the 5-year-old had an eyelid injury. After treatment with saline and eye drops, both children recovered completely, but doctors said doctors need to consider the potential dangers of hand sanitizers in public places and schools. It was.

What you can do to protect your child from hand sanitizer injuries

There are several ways to minimize the risk of eye injury from hand sanitizers, especially among children.

• Many hand sanitizers installed in public spaces are automated, so they detect movement and release sprays / lumps of disinfectant that can get into your eyes, so children avoid them when maneuvering. Please be so.
• Make sure your child is always wearing glasses, especially if you have poor eyesight. Glasses can actually prevent the disinfectant from getting into your eyes.
• If your child is very young, be sure to give yourself a hand sanitizer to disinfect your hands.
• If you have access to the sink, we recommend hand washing rather than hand sanitizer.

Disclaimer: The tips and suggestions contained in the article are for general information purposes only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or professional healthcare provider if you have specific questions about your health care needs.