While it is obvious parents at home may not have realized the dangers involved in these products, the FDA warns that they are to store them away from the reach of children as they could lead to hospital case medical issues. Curious children are always trying to understand what they can achieve by using products that they regularly witness adults close to the using. According to the statistics report issued by the US consumer Product Safety Commission, CPSC from 1997 all the way to 2009, it has been evaluated that injuries caused by such eye drops were more than 4,500 children who were all said to be under the ages of five years. In addition, on the same statistics count, those children injured by nasal sprays were up to 1,100 in number.

About injury reports

According to the gathered information on this challenge, it is revealed that injury records that were reported were not only as a result of curiosity of the children but also carelessness of their caregivers. Parents should take first hand precaution when handling sensitive over the counter medications and products that could seem harmless to them since to their children, it is the other way round. It is reported that injuries caused to children are as a result of children opening products that do not sell in child resistant packages in that it might be as easy for the child as it is for the adult to open and access the inside product.

Though it might seem obvious that adults are using these drugs externally, children are mischievous and could end up swallowing the elements inside. Surprisingly, if by any chance the child ends up swallowing more than a fifth of a regular teaspoon, the damage could be serious according to the FDA.

The purpose of eye drops and nose sprays

Contrary to what your child might be led to believe, the purpose of eye drops and nose sprays should be for external use only. For instance, eye drops are meant to restore normalcy in an inflamed eye which would appear red. They soothe the eye by causing target blood vessels to constrict. This is the same similarity and overall use of nose sprays, which work by tightening blood vessels already present in the nose. Contained ingredients that act to provide the cooling effect in the target zones include tetrahydroxoline, naphazoline as well as oxymetazoline respectively.

CPSC has decided to help parents safeguard their children from such products by simply storing medications in safe locations, refraining from certain ignorance practices such as leaving those products in open areas like kitchen counters or bed sides. Overall, the best way to control these habits that could prove catastrophic to the youngsters is by taking medications in the absence of children thus curbing the mimicking habit.