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Burning Eyes

08/01/2011

Question:

what do you do when your child comes home with burning eyes that he cant even open after being in the pool for hours?

Answer:

If your son has been in the pool for a number of hours he probably has suffered mild to moderate irritation to the front surface of his eyes. The chemicals used to keep the pool clean can cause irritation to the surface of the eyes. This irritation will typically improve relatively quickly, within hours to a day. One way to make things more comfortable is to use artificial tears (not Visine type products that “get the red out”). These tears will lubricate the surface of the eye and will improve comfort and encourage healing.

This irritation may cause light sensitivity and therefore he may not want to open his eyes.

If, however, the discomfort does not improve within a day or is simply unbearable for your child, seek help from your eye care professional.

For more information:

Go to the Eye and Vision Care health topic.