Elisabeth S. Swan, O.D.

Toy-related injuries have gone up according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Not surprising given the proliferation of gimmicks on sale around the holidays.

It’s easy to get drawn in by an attractive toy at an attractive price. But compared to the cost of an eye injury, it’s better to follow these guidelines from Prevent Blindness America:

1. Avoid toys that shoot or have parts that fly off
2. Check toys for sturdiness and age appropriateness
3. Purchase additional protective gear when buying sports equipment
4. Check for “ASTM,” products that meet the American Society for Testing and Materials safety standards

Tarantulas are growing in popularity as pets and learning tools at schools and museums. That’s swell unless you happen to handle the species with barbed hairs that eject from the abdomen when threatened.

Those hairs can lodge in the eye directly or through rubbing your eye after handling a tarantula. Because the hairs are barbed and fragile, it makes removal problematic. Hairs embedded in the cornea can cause enormous pain and corneal scarring.

It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of costuming for Halloween and forget to think about safety. We’ve discussed Halloween safety with you before but enough injuries occur every year that we’d like to provide some safety thoughts again this year.

Many parents are unaware that some lip liners are not approved for use in and around the eyes. You can check the Summary of Additives on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website. If your child wants a blood-curdling look around the eyes, use products that are approved for that area. Or stay with spooky instead of bloody and use eye shadow and eyeliner that is approved by the FDA. When using face paint or make-up, leave a margin around the eyes.

What about the costumes themselves? The Prevent Blindness America website cautions against the use of “masks, wigs, floppy hats or eye patches that block vision.”

And then there are the props. Spears, swords, wands—all sharp objects should be carefully considered. If Robin Hood simply can’t go trick-or-treating without his trusty sword, store it safely in a belt or scabbard and make sure it is made of soft, flexible material.

Don’t allow your children to use novelty contact lenses for Halloween unless you check with us first. No matter how tempting it might be to acquire a supernatural gleam or a zombie gaze, these “accessories” can cause serious eye infection leading to diminished vision and even blindness.

We hope you have a safe and happy Halloween.

Now that the school year is underway, the great germ swap will be swinging into action.

Conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye, is a common childhood eye disease. It’s an inflammation or infection of the layer of tissue lining the inside of the eyelid known as the conjunctiva.

There are different forms of conjunctivitis–some viral, some bacterial. Some are the result of allergies, irritation, sexually transmitted diseases or a response to air contaminants.

Bacterial and viral conjunctivitis are infectious. Schools, with children in close quarters sharing supplies, are a prime source of spreading. Be on the lookout for any of these symptoms: a gritty feeling in the eyes, itching or burning, excessive tearing, discharge, swollen eyelids, pinkish cast in the white of the eye, or increased light sensitivity.

No matter how the condition was acquired, conjunctivitis can be diagnosed with a comprehensive eye examination. If you suspect your child has it, give us a call. We can evaluate the conjunctiva and surrounding tissues. Our examination can determine whether vision is affected and check to see if other tissues are affected.

Because treatment of conjunctivitis depends on its cause, accurate diagnosis is important. For instance, we often recommend antibiotic eye drops or ointment for bacterial conjunctivitis. Viral forms do not respond to antibiotics but we can suggest ways to relieve symptoms.

Practicing good hygiene will keep you from getting conjunctivitis in the first place.  Here are a few suggestions for your school-age children:

• Train them not to touch or rub their eyes unnecessarily
• Encourage them to wash their hands during breaks
• Discourage sharing of washcloths and towels
• Include packaged hand wipes in their lunch box

In the rush to prepare for the upcoming school year – buying school supplies, new clothes and shoes for growing feet – parents often overlook one critical piece of back-to-school preparations.

You guessed it – eye health and safety.

If you’re shopping for sports equipment, be sure to ask about recommended eye protection for the sport. Purchasing protection and using it routinely is much less expensive and far safer than treating an eye injury later.

Also, did you know that amblyopia is the most common cause of vision problems in children? It most often results from the misalignment of a child’s eyes causing them to cross or turn out. Sometimes one eye focuses better than the other causing the brain to favor it. This gives rise to the term lazy eye.

Because amblyopia causes reduced vision, it is important to identify it before your child heads through the schoolhouse doors. If undetected, it can be misinterpreted as a learning or behavioral disorder.

Early treatment greatly increases the chances of reversing such vision loss. Untreated or treated too late, the affected eye may never develop good vision, a condition considered “functional blindness.”

A comprehensive vision screening is required to detect amblyopia and other vision issues that otherwise may cause your child to struggle academically. Make an annual eye exam part of your overall preparation for the upcoming school year.

The catchy tune “Go Outside” from musical group Cults may have been onto something significant when they wrote those lyrics.

We’ve been cautioning you about the risk of eye damage due to ultraviolet rays.
It doesn’t mean you should stay indoors, though. Myopia, or nearsightedness, is dramatically on the rise but it seems that children who spend time outdoors are less likely to develop it.

According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), a recent study found that myopia among Americans between the ages of 12 and 54 had increased a whopping 66% between 1970 and 2000. And the U.S. is not alone; urban areas in Asia have also experienced a significant jump.

The reason for the spike is unclear. Genes play a strong role in myopia but don’t explain the sharp rise. What is referred to as “near work” has increasingly been suspected as a factor: reading, usage of computer, cell phone and other palm gadgetry.

But the perplexing thing is that the AOA reports on a study that found that “12-year-olds who spent more than 2.8 hours outside per day on average were less likely to have myopia than those who spent less time outside, regardless of the amount of time they spent doing near work.” Susan Vitale, an epidemiologist at the National Eye Institute, says that genes, near work, and outdoors time all “work together in a complicated way that we don’t really understand yet.”

Like so many good things in life, creating a balance of work and play and indoor and outdoor activities may prove to be a winning formula for preserving healthy vision.

Now, go outside and play…but remember to wear your sunglasses.

On Halloween it is truer than ever that to be safe you must be seen. Children have their attention focused on their costumes, candy and dashing around in the dark.

Here are a few reminders for parents:

• Keep face paint away from the eyes or skip it altogether – paints can cause a rash and they are not regulated by the FDA
• Go only to houses with a light on
• Choose light colors or add reflective tape
• Don’t provide masks – they can reduce the field of vision causing a child to trip or not see approaching traffic

According to the website of the American Optometric Association (AOA), “The most common cancer involving the eye in young children is retinoblastoma.”

Retinoblastoma can be hereditary. If there are any cases of it in your family, be sure to have your child’s eyes checked. One in every 20,000 children develops this fast-growing cancer and early detection of malignancy can make a huge difference to outcomes.

BBC News recently reported on a new Scottish Sight-Sim software program that measures the eyes of a visually-impaired child and “translates the images onto a screen.” The software reveals visually what could only be expressed in numbers and measurements prior to the development of this innovative program.

When parents and teachers have a better understanding of what the world looks like to the visually-impaired child they can “make appropriate changes to the environment” to improve living and learning for the child.

With the holidays coming up, you may be purchasing presents for children. We’d like to remind you of ways to spend your dollars both wisely and safely. You are welcome to share our suggestions with others who might also be purchasing presents for children.

First, make sure the item is age-appropriate. Good judgment and muscular control develop incrementally in young children and they can injure their eyes with toys that they don’t understand or cannot handle safely.

Avoid items with sharp edges, long poles or points on them when shopping for a very small child. Choose toys that have rounded edges such as balls, blocks, musical toys, stuffed animals – these are sure bets for this age group.

Second, if there are still young children in the home steer clear of toys for the older children that have a flying component such as darts and arrows. Such items are fascinating for children of all ages and might fall into the younger child’s hands.

Third, be proactive in thinking about toys that help children develop hand-eye coordination. Staff at a reputable store should be able to direct you to toys that will support this developmental skill. Here are a few suggestions for a range of ages: art and craft activities (e.g., beading and letter-tracing), doll houses and play kitchens, toy trucks, and table tennis sets.

And finally, for that “big kid” on your list, what about a nice pair of sunglasses? Sunglasses protect against damaging UV-A and UV-B radiation. The sun’s rays are present year-round and of special concern for snow sports enthusiasts.

Happy holidays from all of us!