Hand sanitizers have become a universal thing everywhere we go. And with the reopening of schools, hand sanitizers have been provided to the children as a viable alternative to soap and water.
But new reports have surfaced from various parts of the world that many children have had their eyes damaged due to hand sanitizers, and two kids even had to go through surgery to save their eyes from permanent blindness.
Here’s how the hand sanitizer is harming children, and how you can protect their eyes:
According to data from the French Poison Control Center, the cases of children’s eye exposure to hazardous chemicals have increased by 700% ever since hand sanitizers were brought into common usage. One hospital in Paris reports that they had admitted 16 children to their ophthalmology section because the children had hurt their eyes with the hand sanitizer.
Two severe cases were also reported, where the doctors had to do a cornea transplant to save the children’s eyes from permanent damage.
Two kids in India had accidentally squirted hand sanitizer into their eyes. One of them couldn’t see in the light, another had damaged his eyelid. The kids could only recover after serious treatment by doctors.
What’s the reason behind this?
In a shocking revelation, the hospital said that all the children were under the age of 4. This means that they likely got the sanitizer in their eyes because the bottle is usually placed on a table which might be at waist height for adults but it comes at the eye level of young children and there is a high chance of them getting hazardous chemical into their eyes.
Hand sanitizers have ethanol in a high concentration, which is extremely lethal for the cells in the cornea.
Adults in the house should do this:
This is what doctors recommend you should do to save the children’s eyes from receiving any damage:
- Teach them to wash hands with soap and water, instead of using hand sanitizer
- Train children how to use hand sanitizers safely
- Having separate dispensers at shops and malls for children, preferably at lower height (i.e. below face level)
- Assist the children in using hand sanitizers, stay with them and keep an eye at them
In the unfortunate case of hand sanitizer getting into their eyes, wash thoroughly with water and seek medical help.
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