Device problems hurt more than 70,000 kids each year; contact lenses top cause in ER study

Contact lenses top cause of device problem in kids

CHICAGO — Government research says contact lenses are the top cause of medical device complications in kids.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration researchers found that more than 70,000 children and teens get emergency room treatment each year for medical device-related problems.

Many problems are things like infections and eye abrasions in contact lens wearers. These can result from wearing contact lenses too long without cleaning them.

Other problems include puncture wounds from needle injections of medicine or illegal drugs, and infections from implanted shunts and catheters in chronically ill kids.

The study appears in Pediatrics, published online Monday.