A Perth mum has issued an urgent warning to parents after an everyday household chore almost left her four-year-old blind. Jodi Lore was doing the laundry in her Baldivis home, and her daughter Luca de Groot was helping “like she always does”, when chaos erupted. “She normally holds the laundry (detergent) pods, and I turned around for two seconds and she randomly just bit into the pod,” Ms Lore said. Little Luca started screaming immediately, and before her mum could stop her, started rubbing her eyes. Panicked, Ms Lore rushed her to the shower to rinse the chemicals out and then called the HealthDirect poison line. “She was crying like I’d never heard her cry before,” she said. “I thought it was just like when you get shampoo and conditioner in your eyes. Camera Icon Four-year-old Luca de Groot, who suffered severe eye injuries when a washing machine tablet ruptured and went into her eyes. Credit: Supplied “But then when I rang through they basically said we should’ve already been on our way to hospital.” The next two-and-a-half weeks were torture. Initially Luca was rushed into surgery at Rockingham Hospital after four attempts by doctors to flush her eyes out failed. “She was absolutely traumatised. We were pinning her down, holding her arms, to squeeze the stuff in her eyes each time,” Ms Lore said. Luca was then taken to Perth Children’s Hospital, where she remained for 16 days. A second surgery uncovered an abrasion in her left eye, which was swollen and inflamed — but not nearly as badly as it would soon become. Following the operation, Luca required eyedrops every hour for a week. “We were literally having to peel her eyes open, hold her down, every single hour. It was quite brutal,” Ms Lore said. Luca’s red and swollen eyes remained glued shut, the skin over and around them peeling away, for a week. Camera Icon The 4 year old’s eyes were stuck shut and she required eyedrops every hour for a week. Credit: Supplied Ms Lore said one of the biggest challenges was watching Luca’s condition get much worse before it got better. “When the burns started setting in, she was in a world of pain. They put her on a fentanyl pain pump, and after we got her off that she was on oxy and panadol,” she said. Because Luca’s eyes weren’t improving, and there were serious concerns she could lose her eyesight, she was taken in for a third surgery, with doctors carrying out an amniotic membrane transplant to promote healing. “She saw the PCH doctors and nurses every day for two weeks, and we developed quite a bond with them and the burns team,” Ms Lore said. “I can’t fault them, they were incredible and I don’t think she would’ve kept her sight if it wasn’t for them.” Luca was the fifth child in six weeks to be admitted to PCH after getting laundry detergent in their eyes. PCH ophthalmologist Dr Marina Rayside described the recent spate in cases as concerning, especially with how concentrated washing pods are now. “Permanent damage is the worst case scenario, and pain management is one of the most difficult things in these cases,” she said. Dr Rayside added that these sorts of injuries always got worse as time went on, before they got better. She advised parents to rinse their kids eyes out with tap water and then immediately go to an Emergency Department. Since returning home a week ago, a wave of anxiety washes over Ms Lore every time Luca goes anywhere near the laundry. She’s put locks on all the cupboards in there, and the kitchen, and is in the process of finding non-toxic detergents. “I was never aware of how bad it could be if that soap got in your eyes,” Ms Lore said. “All it says on the packaging is ‘seek medical advice’ — nothing about chemical burns or the ED. “They need to have more warning, more advice on the box.” Luca’s recovery is expected to take a total of nine months, with regular hospital check-ups. For now, she’s not allowed to touch her eyes or the skin around them, which still appears red and sore, and she needs a hat and sunglasses to go outside. “I’m not allowed to rub them, ever,” Luca said. As for the laundry pods — “no touching them, and no squeezing them.”