Eye injuries in young children: Keep liquid detergent capsules out of reach

Letter: Eyes and alkalis

In this week's BMJ, senior eye doctors are warning people to keep liquid capsules for fabric detergents out of the reach of children after a wave of eye injuries in young children at their hospital.

Rashmi Mathew and Melanie Corbett from The Western Eye Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in London report that last year chemical injuries associated with these capsules accounted for 40% of ocular chemical injuries in children under the age of five at their hospital.

They also report that Guy's and St Thomas' Poisons Unit received 192 enquires related to the capsules during 2007-8 and 225 calls during 2006-7, a fifth of which related to ocular exposure.

Of the 13 children they have seen recently, corneal burns resolved with no complications in 12 cases. However, one child received ocular irrigation (copious flushing of the eye with sterile water) only on arrival in accident and emergency and therefore sustained extensive corneal burns.

The capsule in most liquid detergent capsules is a water soluble polyvinyl alcohol membrane, explains co-author Katherine Kennedy, senior chemist at Guy's Toxicology Unit in London. The liquid detergent is a mixture of three active agents - an anionic detergent, a non-ionic detergent, and a cationic surfactant - dissolved in water to give an alkaline solution, making the capsule more dangerous than initially perceived.

The authors warn that alkali injuries are the most severe form of chemical eye injury which can cause irreversible damage and have lifelong ramifications, such as constant discomfort, scarring and even amblyopia (lazy eye).

They conclude: "After recent discussions with Guy's Poisons Unit, some manufacturers have made hazard labels more prominent. But greater consumer awareness is required to reduce injury. Such concentrated cleaning products must be kept out of the reach of children, and immediate irrigation is crucial to reduce the risk of clinically significant injury."

Source: BMJ-British Medical Journal

Comments

The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of News Medical.
Post a new comment
Post

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.

You might also like...
Study reveals high effectiveness of flu vaccines in children but highlights challenges with certain subtypes