COVID-19 has made hand sanitizer a necessity, but it can be dangerous in the wrong hands.
A new data study shows more kids are hurting their eyes with it. According a study published in Jama Opthamology, using data from the french poison control center,
cases of chemicals from hand sanitizers getting into young eyes increased 7-fold — between April 1 and august 24 2020 — compared to the same period a year earlier.
Some under 4 years old were even hospitalized.
"There are the spray hand sanitizers that can accidentally get sprayed into their eye, but also if it is one of the squeeze bottles or pump bottles they can shoot out and surprise the child," said Julie Weber, director of the Missouri Poison Center.
Weber said if your child gets hand sanitizer in their eyes, immediately flush the eye with water.
"Try to get them to not rub the eye and cause more irritation or running the risk of causing a scratch on the cornea," she said.
To keep kids safe, Weber says parents should keep hand sanitizer out of reach of younger children.
Think about the container — how the santizer will come out of it — and, if using a public dispenser, pay attention to whether it's at a level that would make it easier to spray into young eyes. And always supervise your child.