why children lose their vision and what we can do
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Eye injuries
Many chemicals in the house — like acid, lye, and
cleaning solutions — are common causes of eye
problems in children. If one of these chemicals
gets in the eye, immediately rinse the eye with
cool, clean water for 15 to 20 minutes, and see a
health worker right away.
Be careful not to get water in the
other eye. Tilt the child’s head to
the side and put the eye you are
washing closest to the ground.
Injuries to the eye or scrapes on the eye can also
cause blindness or problems seeing. Keep all sharp
pointed objects, and also chemicals, out of the reach of
children and keep play areas safe by removing objects
that could cause eye injury. Warn children about
the danger of throwing things at other people, or of
throwing closed bottles, cans, or bullets into the fire.
Also warn them about local plants and medicines that
can injure the eyes.
Traditional beliefs and eye medicines
People have different traditional beliefs about what causes blindness.
Some people believe that a child is blind because the parents have done
something wrong. Others believe that a “black witch moth” flew by the
baby’s face, causing her to be blind. And some people think that a child
is blind because someone has done evil to the child’s mother and the
child is “witched.” None of these cause blindness.
There are traditional medicines which can help treat eye problems.
But before using any medicine, traditional or modern, make sure
that the medicine cannot harm the person in any way. Here are some
general things to remember about traditional cures for health problems:
• The more cures there are to treat the same problem, the less likely it
is that any of them will help.
• Disgusting cures rarely help people.
• Never use human or animal excrement as a cure. It can give the
person an infection.
• The more the cure looks like or resembles the sickness, the more likely
its benefits come only from the power of belief.
Eyes are fragile. It can be dangerous to put herbs and other materials in
the eye because they can cause infections.
helping children who are blind