Children’s health: eye injuries


        CHILDREN’S HEALTH: EYE INJURIES

The eyeball is a fragile, hollow sphere whose wall is less than 3 mm thick. Within the eyeball, there are many complex and delicate structures. Fortunately, the eyeball is well protected by its bony socket and the eyelids.
The eye can be injured by small objects like sand or metallic splinters which land on or become embedded in the surface or which penetrate to the inside of the eye. Sharp objects such as fingernails, knives, and fishhooks can scratch the surface and penetrate the eye. Dull objects such as balls and cricket bats can jar the eye and dislodge its internal structures. A tiny speck in the eye may lodge on the surface or hide under the eyelid. The eye may also be injured by harmful liquids or powders (acids, alkalis, caustics, petrol) that come in contact with the eye.

Signs and symptoms
If the child cannot easily open the eye, do not try to force it open to look in the eye. See your doctor promptly.
If the child can easily open the eye, then you can examine the eye to look for signs of damage. Look carefully for all of the following signs of injury. Is there any free blood coming from the eyeball? (Do not be misled by blood from a cut near the eye that may have run into the eye.) Are there any differences in the pupil of the affected eye compared to the good eye (larger? smaller? different color?)? Is there any difference in the color or position of the iris (colored part of the eye)? Is there any sign of collapse of the eyeball? Is there any puddling of red blood in front of the iris? Is there any blurring of vision? If none of these symptoms is present, you may safely look for foreign objects on the surface of the eyeball or lodged under the eyelid.

*67/84/5*
GENERAL HEALTH

«On Line Pharmacy»