Caution: Kids & Laundry Detergent Pods

 

Kids are curious! Laundry packets or laundry pods are often brightly colored, and kids may mistake them for toys or candy. If a laundry packet is popped, the detergent can severely burn the cornea, eyelids and skin around the eyes. Chemical burns to the eyes can result in lifelong decreased vision or total blindness. If children swallow laundry packets, the poisoning can be fatal. Unfortunately laundry pod detergent eye injury has increased over the past several years according to researchers reporting in JAMA Ophthalmology. Recent data suggest there has been greater than a 30 fold increase in these injuries among kids. The message is clear-if you use laundry pods, make sure you know the risks. Store them safely and keep them out of the hands of children.

If you or a child experiences an alkali chemical eye burn, please immediately rinse with cold water and attempt to get as much of the detergent out of the eyes as possible. Then, take them to the emergency room immediately and have them call our office at The Eye Clinic of Texas, an affiliate of Houston Eye Associates, at 800-423-3937, visit The Eye Clinic of Texas, or facebook.com/ecot.lasik.

The Eye Clinic of Texas is an affiliate of Houston Eye Associates, the largest ophthalmology clinic in the nation. We are a leading eye care practice serving the greater Houston, Galveston, League City and Texas City with offices at 1100 Gulf Freeway, Suite 114, League City, Texas 77573, 7111 Medical Center Drive, Suite 110, Texas City, Texas 77590 and 2302 Avenue P, Galveston, Texas.

About Plaquenil, Your Retina & Side Effects

 

Plaquenil is a medication that was originally used to prevent or treat malaria, a serious but rare disease caused by bites from infected mosquitoes. It turns out that this drug is helpful in treating inflammatory diseases such as certain types of inflammatory disease. Inflammatory disease occurs when the body's immune system attacks its own healthy tissue. Some diseases treated with Plaquenil include:

• Lupus, which causes fever, rashes, skin problems, and other symptoms.
• Rheumatoid Arthritis, a condition that causes pain and swelling in the joints of your hands and feet.
• Sjorgren’s Syndrome, which causes dry eyes and dry mouth.

Plaquenil lowers your immune system’s ability to cause inflammation. This can help control symptoms like rashes, skin and mouth sores and joint pain. However, Plaquenil has side effects that can affect your eyes. A rare side effect of Plaquenil is damage to the eye's retina, which is the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. Using Plaquenil for a long period of time may harm the retina, causing serious vision loss. People with retinal damage from Plaquenil are not aware at first that they are losing vision. Unfortunately, once they lose a severe amount of vision loss, it is permanent.

If you take Plaquenil, it is very important to see an eye doctor who can examine your retina and provide any other testing and imaging, to check your retina for problems before serious damage occurs. Please schedule an eye exam with eye doctors at The Eye Clinic of Texas, an affiliate of Houston Eye Associates, at 800-423-3937, visit The Eye Clinic of Texas, or facebook.com/ecot.lasik.

The Eye Clinic of Texas is an affiliate of Houston Eye Associates, the largest ophthalmology clinic in the nation. We are a leading eye care practice serving the greater Houston, Galveston, League City and Texas City with offices at 1100 Gulf Freeway, Suite 114, League City, Texas 77573, 7111 Medical Center Drive, Suite 110, Texas City, Texas 77590 and 2302 Avenue P, Galveston, Texas.

About Eyelid Twitches

If you have ever had an eyelid twitch for an extended period of time, you know how annoying it is. An eyelid twitch (or tic) is when you have a spasm or slight movement of your upper or lower eyelid. It comes on suddenly, and can last for a minute, hours, days or even longer. While it may feel as if everyone can see the twitch, most twitches are slight enough that they can’t be seen by someone simply looking at your face. Most common eyelid twitches are harmless, and do not affect your vision. However, there are some neurological problems that can make eyelid muscles contract, such as blepharospasm and hemifacial spasm. These less common conditions generally tend to cause the eyelids to close more fully and for longer periods of time, limiting or completely blocking vision. Other muscles in the face may be affected as well. For the majority of us, the common eyelid twitch is a brief and minor annoyance. 

But when it lasts longer or occurs more frequently than usual, there are some steps you can take to make it go away:

 

Get Some Sleep!

Eyelid twitches often happen to people when they are overly tired. Get some restorative sleep.

Step Back From Stress!

Being under stress can lead to a twitch. If you can’t eliminate something causing you stress, find stress-reducing activities to help get rid of the twitch.

Cut Back On Caffeine!

As a stimulant, caffeine can cause eyelid spasms. Limiting your coffee, tea or soda intake may help to reduce eyelid twitching.

Moisturize Your Eyes!

In some cases, having irritated or dry eyes can lead to eyelid spasms. Get a dry eye exam if necessary or if you are bothered by dry eye problems.

If you or someone you know has ongoing eyelid twitching and gritty, uncomfortable eyes please schedule an eye exam at The Eye Clinic of Texas, an affiliate of Houston Eye Associates, at 800-423-3937, visit The Eye Clinic of Texas, or facebook.com/ecot.lasik.


The Eye Clinic of Texas is an affiliate of Houston Eye Associates, the largest ophthalmology clinic in the nation. We are a leading eye care practice serving the greater Houston, Galveston, League City and Texas City with offices at 1100 Gulf Freeway, Suite 114, League City, Texas 77573, 7111 Medical Center Drive, Suite 110, Texas City, Texas 77590 and 2302 Avenue P, Galveston, Texas.