| Removing Particles from a Child's Eye |
| It's not unusual for a child to get dirt, sand or plant matter in his eye. Doctors commonly recommend that the child's eye be flushed with water from a faucet or container, but it's easy for a child to become upset and resist this kind of approach. Dr. H.J. Bennett, a pediatrician from Bethesda, MD, offers another way. He suggests filling an 8 or 10 oz. glass with water all the way to the brim, then putting it on top of a colored picture placed on a table. The child then is asked to close the eye with the particle in it and lower his face to the rim of the glass (knowing that his face will get wet and some of the water will spill out of the glass). The child is then asked to describe the picture hidden under the glass - and the trick is to suggest that if he opens and closes his eye with a blinking action it will be easier to see the picture. As the child blinks the parents will usually see the material from the eye sink to the bottom of the glass, reports Dr. Bennett. After the procedure, the child should sit with his eyes closed for a few minutes, and if his eye still bothers him, he should be seen by a health care giver. (Bennett HJ: Contemporary Pediatrics, January 2002, p 118) |
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