Anyone who has tried to give a child medicine knows it can be a struggle. It may be especially difficult when children have already been through the trauma of removal and then replacement of an eye. They are uneasy when it’s time to lubricate. At times, they may not want you going near the prosthetic. When you convince your child to let you put in some eyedrops, you need them to last a long time. Off the shelf artificial tears don’t cut it. Saline may only last an hour. Your child won’t sit still for hourly applications.
The longest lasting prosthetic eye lubricants are made of silicone.
• They are thicker than saline eye drops. Your child will feel immediately more comfortable and may forget about the eye for a while.
• Silicone does not completely dry out. You may find you are putting more drops in before you ever hear your baby say, “Mommy, it hurts”.
• Silicone is available in 100 solutions, delivering the largest amount of soothing moisture possible.
• You will have the peace of mind that you are using medical grade, FDA approved solution on your little loved on.
• Since many modern ocular prosthetics are designed to be worn a long time, even while sleeping, a long lasting lubricant is essential.
100 silicone prosthetic eye lubricant is as easy to buy as those little bottles of saline tears in stores. Your doctor can tell you how to get it. Or you can find it easily with a web search. Just submit words such as, “silicone eye drops” or “artificial eye lubricant”.
Lubrication is so important. You don’t want children rubbing the socket. This can very quickly lead to infection. You want them comfortable, so they can adjust to having the device. An ocular prosthetic will get dry and sore without additional lubrication.
The number one reason children must go through the heartbreaking process of enucleation (removal) is optical cancer. Retinoblastoma is the eye cancer most common in children. At least one in five children with advanced retinoblastoma is not helped by chemotherapy, and face surgical removal.
Children can quickly outgrow a prosthetic eye. It is typical to have to replace an ocular prosthetic up to five times between childhood and adolescence. Each time there is an adjustment to the new orb. A heavy, silicone protective layer eases this otherwise painful transition.
More Advice for Parents
After you’ve made your child more comfortable, and your care easier with silicone eye drops, experts recommend an excellent book to help you and your youngster. It’s called ”My Fake Eye: The Story of My Prosthesis”. It has illustrations kids understand and clear, simple information. The author tells the story of Brian and Zack, and follows them from diagnosis to cosmetic replacement. Experts say hearing about other children going through what they are experiencing is comforting. When children understand what’s happening they feel more in control.
For information on how to find a copy, ask at an eye hospital or ophthalmic center in the United States and abroad. It’s available in Spanish.
Author Resource:
For a safe and affordable artificial eye lubricant, Roger suggests visiting the following site: http://www.ocuglide.com
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