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Putting medication in a child’s eyes can be one of the most frustrating
things for a parent and can be terrifying for a kid. Let’s quickly look
at the problem. The human eye is very sensitive to temperature changes
and the slightest pressure. Eyes normally blink in reflex when even
puffs of air hit them, so they will definitely blink with the pressure
of eye-drops. If the drops are cold or hot, the muscles around the eye
socket, called an orbit, will go into spasm causing intense pain lasting
a few minutes. This pain trains children to avoid getting things in
their eyes, thus making it difficult for you to instill drops. Here is a
method I started using over fifteen years ago and fortunately it still
works well today.
- Make a sort of game of putting medicine in your child’s eyes.
- Let her lie on her back on the bed or a table. Be sure she
can’t accidentally roll and be hurt.
- Tell her to close her eyes tightly and not to open them until
you say so.
- Then, put the drops on top of her eyelids in the corner closest
the nose. This will allow them to warm to skin temperature and help
avoid the reflex muscle spasm as he pressure of dropping will not
occur.
Naturally, after two or three minutes as the child can no longer feel
the drops, she will open her eyes and the medicine will run in. Let your
child look at her eyes in a mirror and tell her how the medicine is
making them get better. Congratulations, you’ve learned how to avoid
your child associating medication and trauma. Most experts feel doing so
will allow your child to grow to respect being well and probably take
better care of themselves.
Dr. Frank |
