One morning you sent your child to daycare, just as you did the morning before. Only this time, your child came home with a painful eye injury that could permanently impact their eyesight. As a parent, you may be experiencing many different emotions, and you may have a few critical questions that need answering.
How Do Daycare Eye Injuries Happen at Texas Daycares?
Eye injuries can happen in a variety of ways, including:
- Falls. Whether a child falls from a height, such as after climbing onto a table, or a child trips and falls, the child is at risk of landing on something that could scratch or penetrate the eye.
- Chemical exposure. Glue, paint, bleach, other cleaners, and other products could damage the eye. Children may come into contact with something that they shouldn’t have, such as bleach, or not know to keep their hands away from their eyes when using certain supplies, such as glue.
- Toy accidents. Toys must be age-appropriate. Sharp or small pieces that are not designed for young children could scratch or penetrate the eye.
- Inappropriate use of everyday objects. Something that poses little threat to an adult, such as a pencil, scissors, paperclip, or key, could significantly hurt a young child. A child who misuses the object, puts it in his or her eye, or trips and falls onto it, could suffer an eye injury.
- Thrown toys or objects. When one child throws a toy, a shoe, a bag, a pencil, or another object, it could hit your child in the eye and cause a serious injury.
Many of these eye injuries are preventable, and it is the responsibility of the daycare center to supervise children at all times to lower the potential risk of these injuries from occurring.
How Should Texas Daycare Centers Prevent Eye Injuries?
Daycares have a duty to care for all children in that they are responsible for supervising. That means that daycares must take reasonable steps to prevent eye injuries, such as:
- Covering sharp edges of furniture to prevent eye injuries during a fall
- Making sure that all climbing equipment, including playground equipment, is safe
- Only providing age-appropriate toys
- Locking up cleaners, paints, and other chemicals
- Not leaving everyday objects around that could cause eye injuries
- Consistently providing adequate supervision for all children
- Providing training for staff members about how to prevent eye injuries
Additionally, daycare staff should know how to properly administer first aid, when to call 911, and to inform a parent about an eye injury immediately.
What Are Some Signs of Eye Injuries in Young Children?
Your child may not be able to tell you that his or her eye hurts or that they don't see the same way that they typically see. Therefore, you should watch for potential signs of eye injuries, which include:
- Redness
- Swelling
- Frequent blinking
- Difficulty opening the eyelid
- Bruising around the eye
- Tilting of the head to see something
- Squinting
- Headaches
- Changes in behavior or mood
If you notice any of these symptoms, then you should take your child to his primary care doctor or a pediatric ophthalmologist so that a full eye exam can be done, a diagnosis can be made, and a treatment plan can be developed.
What Should You Do if Your Child Suffers an Eye Injury at Daycare?
You have a limited amount of time to file a daycare injury lawsuit on your child’s behalf. Therefore, it is important for you to know more about:
- Your child’s medical attention and treatment
- Daycare incident reports
- How to investigate a daycare injury
- Why the Department of Family and Protective Services may come to your house
- Your rights as a parent and how to protect them
You can learn more about these five things by downloading our free guide, A Five-Step Guide for Parents Dealing with a Daycare Injury.
Contact The Button Law Firm If Your Child Experiences an Eye Injury at a Texas Daycare
Our team of experienced and compassionate daycare injury lawyers at The Button Law Firm is dedicated to advocating for you and your family if your child suffers an eye injury while in the care of a Texas childcare facility. We are ready to listen and fight for your family to get justice and move forward. Our attorneys at The Button Law Firm are recognized on the prestigious Texas Super Lawyers list, and we can help guide you after a traumatizing incident involving your child. We work on contingency, meaning we don’t charge you or collect any upfront fees to get started on your case. Get a free case evaluation by calling us at 214-699-4409, emailing us at [email protected], or filling out a contact form.
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