Hand Sanitizer-Related Eye Injuries in Children Have Increased

The number of pediatric eye exposures and injuries from alcohol-based hand sanitizers (ABHS) has significantly increased in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the results of a recent study.

To compare the number of pediatric eye injuries in 2019 with those in 2020, the researchers conducted a retrospective review to examine all reported cases of eye exposure to chemical agents in patients younger than 18 years of age from French Poison Control Centers and a pediatric ophthalmology referral hospital in Paris, France.

Data on age, sex, circumstances of exposure, symptoms, size of the epithelial defect at first examination, time between the incident and re-epithelialization, and medical/surgical management were considered.

The results indicated that there were 7 times more pediatric cases of ABHS eye exposures from April 2020 to August 2020 (n = 232, 9.9%) than there were in the same time period in 2019 (n = 33, 1.3%). Within the same period, the number of admissions to the ophthalmology department in the hospital for ABHS eye exposure increased from 1 in 2019 to 16 in 2020.

Of those who presented to the hospital, 2 cases required amniotic membrane transplants, and 8 cases had a corneal and/or conjunctival ulcers. Of the ulcer cases, 6 involved more than half of the corneal surface. Surgery for severe lesions was necessary in 13% of patients who presented to the pediatric ophthalmology center.

In addition, the number of cases that occurred in public places increased from 16.4% in May 2020 to 52.4% in August 2020 for a total of 63 cases. No cases of ABHS exposure were reported to have occurred in a public place in 2019.

“These data support the likelihood of an increasing number of unintentional ocular exposures to ABHS in the pediatric population,” the researchers concluded. “To maintain good public compliance with hand disinfection, these findings support that health authorities should ensure the safe use of these devices and warn the parents and caregivers about their potential danger for children.”

—Leigh Precopio

Reference:

Martin GC, Le Roux G, Guindolet D, et al. Pediatric eye injuries by hydroalcoholic gel in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Published online January 21, 2020. Accessed January 27, 2020. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaophthalmology/fullarticle/2775155?guestAccessKey=faa573d4-ba91-49de-a8eb-818d04de173f&utm_source=silverchair&utm_campaign=jama_network&utm_content=ped_weekly_highlights&cmp=1&utm_medium=email