Summer hazards for children's eyes

Vacation time has come! Parents can breathe a sigh of relief, but on the other hand, strain. Children are left alone all day, without supervision, so they get into various adventures and often get injured. The children's ophthalmologist of the "Noviy Zir" network of medical centers will tell what dangers lie in wait for the restless on the street and at home Yaroslav Koshelenko. Of course, we will talk about eyes.

Source: freepik

Yaroslav Koshelenko

Ophthalmologist at the "New Vision" clinic

Infection

Dirty hands, playing in sandboxes and swimming in reservoirs are the most common causes of bacterial conjunctivitis.

The fact is that our sandboxes do not close, so not only children play there, but also dogs and cats, leaving behind the products of their life. If such sand gets into your eyes, immediately wash them with bottled water. Just in no case do not use antiseptics for hands. And at home, wash the grains of sand thoroughly with clean, preferably filtered water, or drops of artificial tears.

Does the discomfort persist? Go to the ophthalmologist without delay. After all, at the first stage, there is simply a threat of developing conjunctivitis. But it should be borne in mind that sand is a small sharp lens that easily cuts the transparent part of the eye. As a result, keratitis (inflammation) occurs and the cornea begins to become cloudy. This process can be irreversible and lead to blindness.

How to understand that inflammation has developed? The eyes will become red, and discharge will appear at night after contact with sand. And in the morning there will be a very sharp reaction to the light. So, hurry up to the doctor.

Splashing in water also threatens bacterial conjunctivitis. But there is also a second danger hidden here: parasites live in rivers and lakes, such as heartworms, which can be picked up. The larvae of this worm settle in the eyelids, eyeball and conjunctiva.

What prevention should be done if the child without permission got into the dirty water with his head? Drip the eyes with an antiseptic such as Albucid (sulfacil), because only washing them will be ineffective. After all, protozoa develop very well in the conjunctival cavity. If the next day the acidification and discharge do not disappear, contact an ophthalmologist.

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Harmful sun

We don't have a custom for children to wear sunglasses in the summer. And in vain, because ultraviolet often has a harmful effect on the retina of the eye. Moreover, panama will not help, because you will not control whether the child is looking at the sun.

Source: freepik

Injuries

If a ball hits the eye, the child must be shown to an ophthalmologist. With such an injury, there may be a tear or detachment of the retina, which leads to blindness. Visually, you will not see anything special - just a red eye, so only a doctor will determine the degree of damage.

The impact causes dilation of the pupils, which then do not narrow on their own. Then it is artificially done by an oculist.

If the child wears glasses and the glass is broken due to the impact, it is necessary to consult an ophthalmologist - only a specialist will be able to remove the fragments from the eye. In general, parents should take as a rule: the removal of any foreign body is the sole responsibility of the doctor. Otherwise, there is a risk of inflammation of the orbit, which is fraught with terrible consequences.

Explosive objects

The realities of life are such that it is necessary to talk to children about the dangers of war, including explosive objects. First of all, he simply does not approach them. When you see a projectile or a stretcher and there are no adults nearby, you should return the same way to a safe distance (300 m or 400 steps) and call 101 or 102.

If an explosion did occur, the victim will be rescued on the line of polytrauma — first aid will be provided by traumatologists, and then by ophthalmologists.

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Burns

Children are attracted to fire, so trying to light a fire or light a cigarette for the first time can result in a thermal burn. This is dangerous due to the risk of inflammation inside the eye, so an ophthalmologist's consultation is mandatory so that he can assess which area is affected. For less traumatization, apply a binocular bandage so that the eyes do not move, and go to the hospital.

Accidents also happen when using a gas stove. If the burner is extinguished, and after several attempts to light it, the fire suddenly flares up, the face is often burned, eyelashes and eyebrows are burned. The doctor must examine the victim. For minor burns, he will prescribe a home treatment that will last 3-5 days - just peel the skin. However, vision may deteriorate due to a burn.

Source: freepik

Allergy

Dust, smog, blooming - for allergy sufferers this means red eyes, itching and swelling of the eyelids. If the child wove a wreath and the specified symptoms began to appear, it is necessary to remove the manifestations of allergies - give antihistamines such as loratadine and instill antiallergic eye drops.

Harm from gadgets

This is, perhaps, the most real threat to vision. Of course, it would be wonderful if children did not sit all day behind gadgets, but walked outside, because it is important for oxygen to flow through the cornea to the eye.

In any case, establish a rule of interaction with a smartphone or computer: use it only 2 hours a day, while taking breaks for 20 minutes every 20 minutes. Why such restrictions? First, the summer heat, the operation of air conditioners dries the air. And when children are focused on the image on the screen, they forget to blink their eyes, which leads to drying of the outer area of ​​the eye. Secondly, because of gadgets, the muscle of accommodation, which is responsible for focusing, is constantly strained. It cannot relax, so small users may experience discomfort in terms of vision. Thirdly, if the load is too big, especially for schoolchildren with myopia, myopia will progress faster.

So, teach the child to rest for 20 minutes after 20 minutes of visual stress. He played on the computer or peed, read, then let him turn his eyes to the tree outside the window, will concentrate on it to change the focal length.

Keep in mind that any gadgets and anything done at arm's length puts strain on the eyes. Therefore, include such activities as drawing and putting together puzzles here. And remember that your posture affects your vision very much, so it's best to watch ticks on the phone while sitting, not lying in bed.

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