Ocular Injuries in Children: Nursing Assessment and its Management

Abstract

Eye injuries are common in children and are the common preventable cause of blindness. As the children  are the future pillar of the country, for them an eyes are the most sensitive of all sense organs. The aim  of this review is to share knowledge about eye injuries among the children and its nursing care. An eye  injury can be a painful and scary experience usually presents with marked eye pain, redness, swelling  with watering. The basic types of injuries are chemical, thermal, radiation and mechanical. For both  acid and alkalis injury, immediate eye irrigation with prompt, profuse and prolonged manner should  be carried out. Other common eye injuries are corneal abrasion, subconjunctival hemorrhages, extra  ocular and intraocular foreign bodies, open and closed globe injuries. While many minor eye injuries  can be treated at home by flushing the eye with water, more serious injuries need medical attention  with ophthalmic nurses and ophthalmologists. Topical antibiotics and in few cases corticosteroids are  instilled to prevent infection and scarring. Parents and children should be well educated about causes  and sequences of common ocular injuries.