FDA Warns of Dangers To Young Children From Swallowing Eye Drops and Nasal Decongestants
The Food and Drug Administration is warning parents and pediatricians about the dangers of swallowing over-the-counter eye drops and nasal decongestants by children age 5 and younger. The agency cited 96 cases of serious illness resulting from accidental swallowing of the products, with 53 hospitalizations. There were, fortunately, no deaths.
The drops are sold under such names as Visine®, Opcon-A®, and Naphcon®. The nasal decongestants are sold as Afrin®, Dristan®, Mucinex® and Sudafed® -- all contain either tetrahydrozoline, oxymetazoline of naphazoline. These drugs work by shrinking blood vessels temporarily. In the eye these drugs cause a decrease in redness. In the nose they decrease congestion. When used as directed they are safe, but when the products are ingested by young children, even at levels as small as 1 or 2 milliliters (5 milliliters are in a teaspoon) they can cause serious or even life-threatening side effects. Among the events that resulted in hospitalization of children were coma, decreased heart rate, decreased breathing, nausea, vomiting, sedation, hypothermia, and drooling. Currently these medications do not come in child-resistant packages, but this year the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission proposed requiring such packaging on all such products.
To read the FDA warning and see a partial list of products go to: http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm325257.htm
SCIENCE NOW BLOG Thomas H. Maugh II Los Angeles Times October 25, 2012
Jennifer Viscusi, OD
Some diabetics are required to routinely inject themselves with insulin to control blood sugar levels. Even with these injections, many patients still have difficulty maintaining healthy sugar levels. Alternative methods of delivering insulin to diabetic patients have been studied. Among these are insulin eye drops. In animal studies, applying insulin eye medication has been clinically effective in treating diabetes. There would be many advantages of delivering diabetic medication through an ocular route. It is much easier to instill an eye drop than to perform an injection. Eye drops are less expensive than injections. The rate of systemic absorption with an eye drop is often as fast as with an injection. Overall studies to date with insulin eye drops seem promising and interesting. 
