KOCHI: The Covid pandemic has forced children indoors for a long time now. And parents are having a tough time controlling hyperactive kids at home. Since their ‘playground’ has shifted indoors, the risk of accidents leading to injuries has risen too. A Kochi hospital has reported instances of around 10 children seeking treatment recently for eye-injuries.Doctors advise parents to keep an eye on children to avoid mishaps.“Eye injuries are grave. They can leave children with far-reaching consequences,” says Dr Ani Sreedhar, ophthalmologist and senior oculoplastic surgeon, Little Flower Hospital, Angamaly.
“Over the past few months, we have received a few cases of rare eye injuries that were caused while children were playing near hanging cribs. Their handles are sharp and extremely dangerous. Therefore, parents must be extra careful while letting children play near the cribs. While playing, children often don’t realise the risks and end up injuring, especially, their eyelids. In the cases we received, the cornea, fortunately, was not damaged. If it gets affected, then the entire vision will be compromised.” Children below the age of 10 are mainly the victims. In one such incident, a seven-year-old from Ernakulam was jumping onto the bed from the side when the handle hit him on the eyelid. Physical inactivity and continuous sitting in a particular posture for long can cause hyperactivity among young children, which may lead to injuries.
“One of the ways to overcome hyperactivity is by exercising aggressively at least twice a day. But due to the pandemic, children are now sitting in front of the digital equipment for a long time and they cannot go out and engage in physical exercise. This affects hyperactive kids and can lead to a lack of focus, inadvertent behaviour and physical fights with others at home resulting in injuries,” says Dr Arun B Nair, psychiatrist at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital. He says small children, especially, require physical exercise for at least two hours per day.
“Since it is difficult to take children to the playground, some arrangement should be made for engaging in physical activity that is continuous and vigorous, and preferably with light sunlight. Cycling and playing games are some of the solutions. Disruption of sleep among children is another problem that will affect their concentration,” Dr Arun says.