Researchers call for warning labels to prevent children from receiving eye injuries from detergent

March 3, 2010

Although some parents may resolve to making their children wear safety eyeglasses in order to keep their eyes out of harm's way, researchers have suggested that keeping harmful substances, like liquid detergent capsules, out of the reach of small hands could potentially decrease the number of child eye injuries.

According to findings published in the British Medical Journal, researchers from the Western Eye Hospital noticed that a number of children experienced eye injuries from coming into contact with fabric detergent capsules.

The capsules accounted for 40 percent of the total number of injuries sustained by children in the study. The kids experienced corneal burns and ocular irrigation as a result of fabric detergent. These problems could lead to lifelong complications with eye health, including constant discomfort, scarring and even a lazy eye.

The researchers are pushing for companies to include more warning labels on their bottles in hopes that the number of these kinds of injuries will dissipate.

"After recent discussions with Guy's Poisons Unit, some manufacturers have made hazard labels more prominent," the authors wrote. "But greater consumer awareness is required to reduce injury."