If it’s made for the eyes it’s got to be safe right.
Sometimes not. When it comes to safe guarding your child, eyedrops need to be treated just like any other medication. If your child is exposed to any medication, call your local poison control center, 1-800-222-1222, immediately.
Glaucoma can effect people of all ages although the elderly are at higher risk. Glaucoma is the leading cause of visual impairment. A commonly prescribed eyedrop called brimonidine could cause serious harm and lead to admission to the hospital if a child were to be accidentally exposed.
A recent article, authored by Drs. Becker, Huntington and Woolf from Cambridge Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital Boston, was published in Pediatrics, Official Journal of The American Academy of Pediatrics. They looked at brimonidine exposures in children < 6 years old. The data comes from the American Association of Poison Control Centers, 1997 to 2005 and is provided by the 61 member centers.
Of the 176 cases of unintentional brimonidine poisoning, 28 had to be hospitalized for treatment. The most common symptom reported was drowsiness. Less frequently reported but potentially more serious symptoms included included pallor, irritability, low blood pressure, breathing difficulties and prolonged slowing of the heart rate.
Please continue to keep all medications inaccessible to your child.
More details of the study can be found here: http://www.health.am/ab/more/glaucoma-eye-drops-can-harm-kids/.
The published article can be found here: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/123/2/e305.
