mark@umcp-cs.UUCP (11/14/83)
The following article appeared in net.med:
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There was an article in my local paper today about the fact that
Ontario refuses to change the outdated law requiring silver nitrate
drops in the eyes of newborn babies. While blindness caused by
sometimes undetectable latent gonnorrhea is a genuine concern, silver
nitrate can have harmful effects. It can cause inflammation of the
baby's eyes for several days, reducing good parental eye contact at a
critical bonding stage. (Please, the old notion that newborns are
blind is hopelessly out of date.)
If there is a possibility of gonnorhea, there is an alternative to this
needless pain. Erythromycin drops have been shown to prevent other eye
problems as well as preventing blindness. But for couples who are very
sure they have never been exposed and have had negative VD tests, I
feel that the parents should decide.
A Canadian woman is launching a court case, stating the law violates
her constitutional rights. As far as I know, the only way to be sure
of avoiding drops, and a lot of other unnecessary medical procedures, is
homebirth.
- Madeleine Clin, c/o kwlalonde@watmath
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spoken: mark weiser
UUCP: {seismo,allegra,brl-bmd}!umcp-cs!mark
CSNet: mark@umcp-cs
ARPA: mark.umcp-cs@CSNet-Relaypeg@linus.UUCP (Margaret E. Craft) (11/15/83)
Many hospitals now offer a choice between the silver nitrate and the erythromycin drops. I asked for the latter, and found it had no effect on my daughter's ability to focus. Some hospitals will not volunteer it, but if they don't, you should ask. You MUST do this well in advance of the birth so that the drops are on hand. It's truly amazing to have those little eyes looking at you... T'would be a shame to lose that opportunity.