Dr. Marguerite McDonald Offers Parents Child Eye Care Safety Tips a young child’s arms and fingers away during application. For children under 3 years of age, wrap the child in a blanket to keep their (NAPSA)—The arrival of springtime signals the beginning of allergy season, and eye itch is one of the most common complaints. Many parents are faced with not only easing their own pains, but with treating their children’s itchy eyes as well. Approximately 40 million arms inside. For older children, Americans suffer from eye aller- gies, and many of them are not old enough to use eyedrops themselves. For parents, applying eyedrops to a child’s eyes can be a high-anxiety task, especially when the child showsresistance. A common problem is the application of too much ortoo little medication, which can interfere with treatment. To make matters worse, many medications only last a few hours, so they have to be used again and again to keep the problem at bay. Marguerite McDonald, M.D., F.A.C.S., Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island, offers the following tips to help parents get their children (and themselves) through the upcoming eye-itch season as painlessly as possible: Avoid the inconvenience of frequent applications or visits to the school nurse with long-lasting Applying eyedrops to a child’s eyes can be a high-anxiety task. treatments that minimize the number of necessary applications. Zaditor (ketotifen fumarate ophthalmic solution), previously available only by prescription, wasrecently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for over-the-counter use. It works in minutes and provides up to 12 hoursof eye-itch relief. To prevent any contamina- tion or spread of germs, wash your hands well before administering the drops, and be careful not to touch the dropper to the child’s eye or any other surface. If administering eyedrops by yourself, it may be difficult to keep find a relaxing position that makes the child feel in control. Gently pull the child’s lower eyelid down, and either drop the liquid into the pocket created behind the lower eyelid or into the corner of the eye, allowing the medicine to flow into the eye. For young children, be sure to have cotton swabs or a clean tissue ready to wipe away any excess liquid that mayroll into the child’s ears or mouth. If possible, have the child close his or her eyes for a few seconds after application. Read the label carefully and makesure it is appropriate for the child. Most nonprescription medications can be used for children age 6 and above. Zaditor is the first OTC eye-itch medication safe for use in children as youngas 3. * Unless directed otherwise, be sure to store eyedrops at room temperature. For additional children’s eyeitch treatment and safety information, please visit www.zaditor.com.
