OT: Sand in Toddler's eye...what to do?

[brergnat]

Ugh...so my 2.5 y/o son got a HUGE amount of fine grain sand in his eye just now at the playground (because he was throwing it, but that's another story). Let's just say, we won't be going to the playground for AWHILE.

Anyway, I managed to get a good amount of it out at the playground with a squirt bottle of water (I know, not the best option, but that's all I had...we ran to the park from home with the jogging stroller and we were about 2 miles from home, so I had to make do...the park did not have a bathroom or anything).

When we got home, I put DS in the bathtub and mixed up some basic saline solution and used a nasal aspirator to sort of squirt it in his eyes to clean them out, but it was really hard, mainly because he would not open his eyes, and I couldn't really pry them open either. The good thing is, he cried a LOT, and I know that helped. The bad thing is, the WHOLE time, he has been rubbing his eyes like mad (I don't blame him...there was a LOT of sand in there), especially during the approx 10 min run home.

So now, most of the sand is out, but there are a few stray grains caught in his lower lids. Do I need to worry about this, or will his tears naturally clean them out? It's been about an hour now and they are still there. I am not exaggerating when I say that originally, when I pulled down his lower lids, ALL I saw was sand, from the inner to the outer corner of his eyes. It was bad.

Being Saturday, my only option is urgent care. However, does this require a visit to there? I am alone with my boys (DH is deployed) and going to the doctor (especially Urgent care) is a pain and a half, so I don't want to be overreacting. I've never had to deal with this before.

Any advice?

 

[The Moonk's Mom]

Did you call to see if your dr office has an oncall dr for you to talk to?

 

[honugirl]

Could you go to the eye doctor at Walmart or the mall? They would be able to check for scratches on the cornea and other problems, but also probably wash the rest out and I know at the mall they'd be open on a Saturday. Walmart probably would be too.

 

[disneybound2010]

I found this online. HTH I would probably call you Pediatrician and speak to someone on call for advice.

You can treat many minor eye irritations by flushing the eye with water, but more serious injuries require medical attention.

Injuries to the eye are the most common preventable cause of blindness, so when in doubt, err on the side of caution and call your doctor for help.

What to Do:
Routine Irritations
(sand, dirt, and other foreign bodies on the eye surface)
Wash your hands thoroughly before touching the eyelids to examine or flush the eye.
Do not touch, press, or rub the eye itself, and do whatever you can to keep your child from touching it (a baby can be swaddled as a preventive measure).
Do not try to remove any foreign body except by flushing, because of the risk of scratching the surface of the eye, especially the cornea.
Tilt the child's head over a basin or sink with the affected eye down and gently pull down the lower lid, encouraging the child to open his or her eyes as wide as possible. For an infant or small child, it's helpful to have a second person hold the child's eyes open while you flush.
Gently pour a steady stream of lukewarm water (do not heat the water) from a pitcher or faucet over the eye.
Flush for up to 15 minutes, checking the eye every 5 minutes to see if the foreign body has been flushed out.
Because a particle can scratch the cornea and cause an infection, the eye should be examined by a doctor if there continues to be any irritation afterward.
If a foreign body is not dislodged by flushing, it will probably be necessary for a trained medical professional to flush the eye.

 

[surfergirl602]

load him up with lubricating drops. Fine sand scratches, and it hurts. You want to coat his eyes as much as possible. Rinse, rinse. It should work its way out, but you want to lessen the amount of damage that it does.

 

[brergnat]

Thanks everyone. I ended up taking him in. They cleaned his eyes out good. Got all the rest of the sand out, checked for scratches (none, thank goodness!) and put in some antibiotic drops for insurance. Took 3 of us to hold him down while the doc did his work. The kid is a beast...

But, he's asleep now, finally! Long day...

No more park for us for awhile.

 

[surfergirl602]

Thanks everyone. I ended up taking him in. They cleaned his eyes out good. Got all the rest of the sand out, checked for scratches (none, thank goodness!) and put in some antibiotic drops for insurance. Took 3 of us to hold him down while the doc did his work. The kid is a beast...

But, he's asleep now, finally! Long day...

No more park for us for awhile.

I'm glad you took him in. Hope he's feeling better in the morning!!

 

[nessz79]

Thanks everyone. I ended up taking him in. They cleaned his eyes out good. Got all the rest of the sand out, checked for scratches (none, thank goodness!) and put in some antibiotic drops for insurance. Took 3 of us to hold him down while the doc did his work. The kid is a beast...

But, he's asleep now, finally! Long day...

No more park for us for awhile.

Poor guy! It's hard for them when they're only 2- they don't "get" things