A 4-year-old girl is blinded after biting a common household item.
A four-year-old girl tragically lost vision in one eye after biting into a common household item her mother had given her.
The incident occurred while Luca de Groot was helping her mother, Jodi Lowe, with housework at their Perth, Western Australia home. Luca cried out in pain before her mother could react, as the contents of the item quickly spread across her eyes.
“It’s been incredibly difficult,” Lowe shared, describing the emotional pain of watching her daughter suffer without being able to stop it. “Seeing your young daughter in such agony is heartbreaking.”
The incident began when Lowe briefly turned her back. During that moment, Luca bit into a Persil laundry pod, causing it to burst and spray its contents all over her face.
“I had handed her the pod to hold while I finished the laundry,” Lowe explained. “But before I realized, she bit down, and it exploded. The pods are pretty rigid, so when they pop, the contents spray everywhere. Luca rubbed her eyes afterward, spreading the toxins between them.”
For Luca, who usually helps with laundry but had never shown interest in chewing the pods before, this was unusual.
Panicked, Lowe rushed her daughter into the shower, hoping to wash away the harmful toxins. As she examined the box, it recommended flushing the eyes immediately and seeking medical attention.
“I got her into the shower and checked the back of the product,” Lowe said. “It advised seeking medical help, so I thought it wouldn’t be too serious.” However, Luca was clearly in pain and crying loudly.
Lowe quickly drove Luca to the hospital as her daughter’s cries intensified. Doctors acted quickly, but they struggled to wash the detergent out of her eyes. Eventually, Luca underwent surgery to address the damage caused by the exposure.
During a second surgery, they discovered that her eye was severely damaged. A third operation involved an amniotic membrane transplant to aid healing. “At one point, they considered a fourth surgery because she wouldn’t open her eye, but thankfully, we managed to get her to do so,” Lowe shared.
Days after the incident, Luca’s eyes turned red and swollen. Painful blisters and scabs soon followed. She spent 16 days in the hospital, fighting to recover. Sadly, the damage to her eye was permanent—she didn’t regain full vision.
In Australia, the laundry pod is sold under the Omo brand, though it’s known as Persil in the UK. After this traumatic experience, Luca’s mother, Jodi Lowe, is calling for stronger warnings on such products.
“Yes, they say to keep pods away from children,” Lowe said. “But the label only says ‘seek medical advice.’ It doesn’t say go straight to the hospital. That’s just not enough.”
Lowe stressed the urgent need for greater awareness about the dangers of laundry pods. “I had no idea they could do this much harm,” she said. “You wouldn’t think direct contact could lead to severe burns and multiple surgeries.”
Unilever, the company behind the pods, responded by saying child safety is their top priority. “Even one incident involving children is one too many,” a spokesperson said. “We include warnings on both sides of our packaging and design child-resistant features.”
The company has since reached out to Lowe to discuss Luca’s injuries and review the current safety guidance on laundry products sold in Australia.
