Holi Hai!!

The festival of colours is round the corner. The official welcome of spring, a time of new beginnings and blossoms can also become a time, when you scurry to your paediatrician's office with your kid in tow. Kids go wild while playing Holi. Read ahead to learn safe ways to celebrate Holi and have more fun minus the inconvenience and pains. This sounds a better way of celebrating Holi.

What meets eye
During Holi eye injuries are on rise, a majority of them result from balloons hitting an eye. .

Eye traumas arising out of Holi include –

• Direct injury- when a water-filled balloon hits an eye, it causes maximum damage and it could result in vision loss of the affected eye.
• Abrasion and problems due to chemical toxicity- Usually sand and mica, glass, talc and starch are mixed in colour. It damages eye, may result in impairment of the eyesight. If the coloured water splashes in eyes it can damage the ocular surface and cause temporary visual disability, discomfort and complications that pose a great danger to the vision.

Toxic colours
Colours appear innocent but they are not. Colours can harbour acids, powdered glass and asbestos, silica, oxides, copper sulphate and mercury sulphite to name a few. The speckled shine in colours comes from silica and mica - substances that can cause skin irritations and even damage your vision.

Play safe

• Dress your child in full-sleeve shirts and trousers, preferably denims.
• Smear her with oil all over including hair.
• If she agrees, make her wear dental caps to protect her teeth from staining.
• Sunglasses can keep her eyes safe.
• Buy natural colours and refrain from using colours with toxic chemicals.

After-effects
If your child feels nauseous after playing with colours, take him/her to the doctor immediately. Aloe Vera gel and Calamine lotion are good skin soothers post the celebrations. If coloured water splashes in the eyes of your child wash with lukewarm water. Watch out for the clarity of the vision, in case the child complains that the clarity of the vision is affected take her/ his to an eye-specialist immediately.