Drug Company Announces They’ll Offer a $1 Alternative to That $750 Pill

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Back in September, news broke that a CEO by the name of Martin Shrkeli had raised the price of a 62-year-old generic drug, Daraprim, from $13.50 to a whopping $750 a capsule overnight, leading to widespread shock and outrage. (The drug is often prescribed to AIDS and cancer patients.) Well now, it seems this devilish tale has a hero: A San Diego-based biomedical company announced yesterday that they will offer a comparable drug for around $1 per pill.

The company, Imprimis Pharmaceuticals, plans to supply pills containing Daraprim’s active ingredients, pyrimethamine and leucovorin, in 100-capsule bottles on their website for as low as $99.

They are able to do this because Imprimis is a drug compounder, meaning the company makes specific formulations of drugs tailored to individual needs of patients. The company’s CEO, Mark Baum, told The San Diego Union-Tribune that this formulation isn’t FDA-approved, only the ingredients are, so it can only be sold through a doctor’s prescription and made for a specific individual. This work-around is what allows the company to keep the costs low.

Imprimis also announced they won’t limit their efforts to an affordable Daraprim, they also plan to compete with other manufacturers who have significantly spiked the cost of their drug prices, Baum told The Associated Press.

RELATED: 6 Insane Examples of Prescription Drug Price Increases

“In response to this recent case and others that we will soon identify, Imprimis is forming a new program called Imprimis Cares which is aligned to our corporate mission of making novel and customizable medicines available to physicians and patients today at accessible prices,” Baum said in a press release about the announcement.

“We are looking at all of these cases where the sole-source generic companies are jacking the price way up,” Baum explained to the AP. He predicts there will be a surge of these compounded drugs in the near future as a way to rein in drug prices.

After all, Turing Pharmaceuticals isn’t the only company to drastically spike the cost of generic drugs in the past year. As Health and other outlets have reported, other companies have become well known for similar practices. Valeant Pharmaceuticals, for example, bought the rights to two heart drugs Isuprel and Nitropress back in February and then immediately hiked the list prices by 500% and  200% respectively.

But Turing Pharmeceuticals continues to demonstrate one of the most obscene price-spikes ever seen in the industry at a whopping 5,000%. So it’s not surprising that the CEO of the company, Martin Shkreli, has received a lot of backlash in the past few months.

RELATED: 14 Smart Ways Seniors Can Cut Medical Costs

On Twitter, Shreki refuted criticism by saying “We spend more than 50% of our revenue on R&D. Please get your facts straight before lumping us in with others.”

Fortunately, other companies like Imprimis are trying to make necessary drugs like Daraprim more affordable for the public.

“While we respect Turing’s right to charge patients and insurance companies whatever it believes is appropriate, there may be more cost-effective compounded options for medications, such as Daraprim, for patients, physicians, insurance companies and pharmacy benefit managers to consider,” Imprimis CEO Mark Baum added said in the press release.

Shkreli mentioned last month that he plans to lower the cost of Daraprim. But the new price remains unknown.

RELATED: 6 Key Medical Scans and What They Should Cost

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6 Tricks for Saving Your Sleep (and Sanity) at the End of Daylight Saving Time

 

It’s true, you can’t run from this. The end of Daylight Saving time is coming on November 1.  Are you ready?

Sure, you could just flee to non-complying realms like Arizona (or Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, or American Samoa… all of which sound pretty compelling this time of year, actually). But if you live in the rest of the U.S. and its territories, you’re going to have to “fall back” an hour like everyone else.

No one looks forward to the time change (which is why we pulled out the very appropriate and hilarious Nacho Punch spoof, above), but there are ways to make it less of a hassle.

Here’s what you need to know to get with the program, stress-free.

Enjoy that extra hour of daylight…

If your typical wake up time is 8am, on Sunday, November 1, you’ll be up at 7am, which means you score an extra hour of light in the morning.

Now’s the perfect time to sneak in a walk or run, which can give your mood and energy a boost. The time change is also a great opportunity to lock in your morning exercise routine for the rest of the year, since working out in the afternoon will get tougher as the days get shorter with winter.

RELATED: Study Ties Daylight Saving Time Change to Rise in Heart Attacks

…Or the extra hour of sleep

If you’re too tired to get up on Sunday, it could indicate you’re sleep deprived (like so many of us are), so go ahead and take advantage of the extra hour to sleep in, suggests sleep specialist and clinical psychologist Michael Breus, PhD. Later that night, just be sure to get to bed at least an hour earlier than the clock says, so you don’t fall deeper into sleep deficit.

Get the kids on track

Children can have a harder time making the adjustment, but getting them acclimated can be a breeze. Starting a week before the time change, Breus recommends putting kids to bed 15 minutes later than usual, every other night.  By the time October 31 rolls around, they’ll be used to going to bed an hour later, and if all goes well, waking up later in the morning. (Bonus: kids will want to be up an hour later on Halloween anyway, so here’s a ready-made occasion to indulge.)

Once you turn the clocks back on November 1, they’ll be back on schedule.

Perk up with blue light

It’s perfectly normal to feel some afternoon grogginess for a week or so after the time change, but there’s a natural remedy.  Light therapy boxes, particularly those that emit blue light, can combat your brain’s tendency to pump out melatonin (the sleep hormone) when it starts getting dark earlier in the day, Breus explains.

Breus likes the Philips goLITE BLU Energy Light, available in rechargeable ($150; amazon.com) and compact ($100; amazon.com) versions, but you can get similar benefits with any light therapy device with blue light.  You can also skip the gadget and simply buy alertness-promoting bulbs for your existing fixtures, such as Definity Digital by LightingScience’s bulbs ($70; amazon.com).

Bonus: If you’re prone to morning grogginess or the winter blues, these gadgets can help boost energy and mood throughout the year.

RELATED: 10 Beauty Tricks for Daylight Saving Time

Use the light for 20 minutes, tops, and not after 7pm, Breus advises, to gain a few hours’ worth of afternoon alertness without getting overstimulated.

Spruce up your sleep hygiene

Anytime you focus on sleep is a good opportunity to freshen up your sleep habits.  That means keeping your bedroom dark, cool, and quiet, banishing electronics, cutting off caffeine in the afternoon, and keeping a consistent bedtime all year long.

And duh, remember to set your clocks back

Before you go to sleep on the night of Saturday, October 31, simply turn your clocks back an hour. Good news is, there’s no need to fiddle with smartphones: they’ll update on their own at the official time change, 2am. This way, you avoid that Monday morning panic of walking into work an hour early. (Oy!)

RELATED: 22 Strange Ways the Sun May Affect Your Body

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12 Ways You’re Using Your Beautyblender Totally Wrong

 

The Beautyblender isn’t your grandmother’s makeup sponge. There’s a reason professional and YouTube makeup artists keep more than one in their kits at all times. Since the brand launched over 10 years ago, it has become an insider favorite and created a new category of edgeless sponge applicators (with plenty of knockoffs available).

The main question we get when someone sees us with the pink egg: “Is it worth the money?” Yes. The Beautyblender will cost you $20 (which is about 19 more dollars than the cheap triangle versions at the drugstore). But you’ll get a dewy, airbrushed finish you can’t achieve with brushes alone.

There are a few things you need to know before you run out and buy one. Consider this your Beautyblender owner’s manual straight from the product creator, Rea Ann Silva. Avoid these 12 mistakes to keep you from getting mold, tears, or stains in your prized beauty tool.

Water Works

You’re using the sponge dry. We get it, you didn’t read the instructions, but theBeautyblender is supposed to be used wet. The damp surface gives you streak-free blending and a dewy finish.

Your sponge is dehydrated. Professional makeup artists like to keep a cup of water nearby to keep the sponges moist while working on set. “The best way to use the Beautyblender is when it is activated and damp and completely wet,” Rea Ann says. This January, the brand is releasing a new Reactivate spray that will plump the sponge when water is scarce.

Washing Machine

You only clean it once a week. Rea Ann recommends you pour cleanser on your sponge after every use, meaning every day. Make sure to keep the plastic cylinder it comes in as a drying station.

You’re scrubbing it too hard. Your BeautyBlender can tear if you have supersharp nails or if you’re pulling the ends too hard when you clean the sponge. Instead, use a gentle squeezing motion. While the sponge is soaking wet, pour the cleaner directly on any soiled spots. Use a pinching motion to distribute the cleanser in and out of the sponge. You can also roll the sponge between your palms. And no, you can’t put them in the washing machine.

You’re not soaking it. For stubborn stains, you can also use a concoction of cleanser and water to soak your sponges overnight. If the spot still won’t lift, you can pretreat your tool with a thinner oil (like baby oil) before cleansing.

Storage Solution

You store it in a ziplock bag. Moldy makeup sponges do happen, but it’s all due to human error (that’s your bad). “When you remove oxygen and light from anything that is moist, you have the opportunity for mold and bacteria to start forming,” explains Rea Ann. So a damp Beautyblender stuffed in your dark, enclosed makeup bag is a bad idea. Instead, use a breathable mesh or organza bag to transport the sponge when you travel.

You tried to microwave the germs away. “The worst possible thing you can do is put it in the microwave,” Rea Ann says. “I don’t think it kills bacteria, it just melts everything.”

You kept it too long. Even though you clean your sponge every day (right?), the Beautyblender needs to be replaced every three months. The older it gets, the more likely it will rip or tear.

More Than Makeup

You’re not using it for skin care. The Beautyblender is not a one-trick pony. You can use the damp applicator to apply your skin care products, too. Rea Ann recommends using the white Pure ($20) to apply your serums, sunscreen, and moisturizers because it’s softer and free of dye.

You only use the Beautyblender with cream makeup. You’ve probably seen the Beautyblender on YouTube in your favorite contouring tutorials. Many makeup artists like to use it for applying setting powder in focused areas, like under the eyes. “The great thing about using a damp sponge with powder is that you can really control where you’re applying it,” says Rea Ann. “Brushes are like brooms that sweep things around your face.”

You use a wiping motion to apply your foundation. The BeautyBlender bounce is not a dance you need to learn; it’s the perfect application technique for this egg-shaped sponge. It’s very similar to the stippling motion you’d use with a regular brush. “What you’re doing in that one bounce motion is depositing the makeup onto the skin, and then blending it at the same time.” It also works to sculpt the face. Use the pointed end of the sponge to drag product with your contour cream. Then, use the larger end to bounce away any lines of demarcation.

You’re only using it for makeup. Yes, we told you to never use the Beautyblender dry — on your face. Rea Ann uses the condensed sponge to remove makeup and deodorant stains from clothes. Once you’ve hit the three-month mark, you can repurpose your old sponge for ombré nail art designs, too.

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Gene May Boost Death Risk for People With Mild Epilepsy

FRIDAY, Oct. 23, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Researchers say they’ve identified a gene mutation that might increase the risk of sudden death in people with mild epilepsy.

The researchers studied a four-generation family with nine members who had epilepsy caused by a mutation of the DEPDC5 gene.

This form of epilepsy is considered mild. But, two of the family members suffered what is known as sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), which is statistically significant for the small number of people in the study, according to the researchers in the Adult Genetic Epilepsy Program of the Krembil Neuroscience Center in Toronto.

But the study did not prove that the gene mutation caused the increased risk for SUDEP.

SUDEP is when a person with epilepsy who is otherwise healthy dies unexpectedly and without an apparent cause. About one in 1,000 people with epilepsy die of SUDEP each year, the researchers said.

“This finding is very important because SUDEP is much more common in patients with very severe forms of epilepsy where they are having seizures almost daily,” principal investigator Dr. Danielle Andrade, neurologist and medical director of the epilepsy program, said in a University Health Network news release.

“Now that we have evidence that a particular gene increases the risk of SUDEP in patients with mild epilepsy, we can not only screen them for this mutation but it also helps us better counsel our patients about their risk,” Andrade added.

The study was published recently in the journal Neurology: Genetics.

“This new evidence of the DEPDC5 gene being a risk factor means we may have more patients than we previously thought that are at risk of SUDEP,” Andrade said. “So this helps to strengthen a physician’s argument as to why their patients need to stick to their medication regimen even if their seizures are mild and infrequent.”

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about epilepsy.

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Drugs Used in Cancer, Arthritis May Help Fight Hair Loss

By Randy Dotinga
HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Oct. 23, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Two drugs — one approved for use in arthritis and the other approved for cancer — may also hold potential for boosting hair growth, new animal research suggests.

“The ultimate potential is a very effective topical product to rub on the scalp to help with all types of hair loss,” said Dr. Luis Garza, an associate professor of dermatology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, who’s familiar with the study findings.

But he added, “More work needs to be done to translate these findings to a product which can be tested in a clinical trial on people.”

In the current study, researchers from Columbia University in New York City tested the drugs only on mice, including some with patches of human skin. If the medications work, it’s not clear how much of the drugs may be needed for humans. It’s also important to note that findings that look promising in animal research don’t always work out as well when tested in humans.

Previously, however, the researchers looked at a specific type of hair loss caused by an autoimmune skin condition called alopecia areata. In that research, the drugs were shown to promote hair regrowth in both mice and people, the study authors said.

Findings from the current study appear Oct. 23 in the journal Science Advances.

About 80 million people in the United States have thinning hair or are bald, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Treatments, such as Rogaine, are available for hair loss, but they have limited powers. They tend to stimulate hair follicles into growing longer instead of producing the “peach fuzz” common on the heads of men with male-pattern baldness, according to study co-author Angela Christiano, an associate professor of molecular dermatology at Columbia.

In the new study, Christiano and colleagues tested drugs known as JAK inhibitors. One drug, tofacitinib (Xeljanz), is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, and the other, ruxolitinib (Jakafi), treats rare blood cancers, the researchers said. They tested topical applicants on mouse skin and on human scalp tissue that was grafted onto mice, the study said.

The researchers reported that the drugs triggered hair growth. “Not only can JAK inhibitors induce a new hair cycle in mouse skin but also can extend an existing growth phase in human follicles, suggesting they may have a broader applicability across several different forms of hair loss,” said Christiano.

This is important because “there are several forms of hair loss where the hair is arrested in the resting state, including male- and female-pattern hair loss,” she said.

The treatments could also help patients with hair loss caused by chemotherapy-induced alopecia and by a condition that causes hair to grow only for a few inches and then stop, she added.

How might the drugs work? They may “help initiate hair regrowth by having a direct effect on activating hair follicle stem cells,” Christiano said.

In terms of side effects, she said the drugs can cause infections and cancer, although topical use — such as via a cream — could limit exposure in patients. The drugs, she said, cost $3,000-$9,000 per month currently, though costs of a potential hair loss product are unknown.

Dr. Brett King is an assistant professor of dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine, in New Haven, Conn. He cautioned that “hair growth is different from hair loss. The factors that bear on growth may or may not bear on hair loss.”

That means that the study doesn’t show that the drugs “will help people whose hair follicles are atrophying,” he said.

What’s next? Christiano said her team has finished research that suggests oral treatments of ruxolitinib may work as a treatment for alopecia areata, and research into oral tofacitinib is showing similar results. In terms of male- and female-pattern baldness, Christiano said, the next step is formulating a drug for topical use and beginning small studies.

More information

For more about hair loss, try the American Academy of Dermatology.

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Celiac Disease Doesn’t Seem to Boost Dementia Risk: Study

FRIDAY, Oct. 23, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Having celiac disease does not appear to increase your risk of dementia, a new study finds.

Researchers looked at more than 8,800 people older than 50. After a median period of about eight years, 4.3 percent of celiac patients and 4.4 percent of those without the digestive disease were diagnosed with dementia.

“Celiac disease did not increase the risk of Alzheimer’s in this population-based study,” said study lead author Dr. Benjamin Lebwohl, assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.

“We did not find evidence of increased dementia risk prior to the diagnosis of celiac disease, either,” he said in a hospital news release.

Researchers did find a slight increase, however, in celiac patients’ risk of developing vascular dementia. The second-leading cause of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia results from an interruption of blood supply to the brain.

“We know that patients with celiac disease have a modestly increased rate of cardiovascular disease, and that patients who experience neurologic symptoms have abnormalities on MRIs that mimic vascular disease,” Lebwohl said.

Lebwohl added that the findings on vascular dementia were small and could be due to chance.

People with celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. The researchers said their study refutes claims in some popular books that gluten, wheat and grains have toxic effects on the brain and may be a factor in rising rates of Alzheimer’s disease.

Study co-author Dr. Peter Green is a professor of medicine and director of Columbia’s Celiac Disease Center. In the news release, he said, “People who promote an anti-grain or anti-gluten agenda sometimes cite our work in celiac disease, drawing far-ranging conclusions that extend well beyond evidence-based medicine.

“We know ‘brain fog’ is a serious symptom commonly reported by our patients, and it’s understandable that people have been worried about a possible connection to dementia. Fortunately, our work … provides concrete evidence that this particular worry can be laid to rest,” he said.

The results of the study were published recently in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases has more about celiac disease.

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The Long and (Financial) Short of Fixing Leg Length Differences

FRIDAY, Oct. 23, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The type of surgery used to correct significant leg length differences in children can affect the patient’s income as an adult, a new study suggests.

Typically, a child whose legs are different lengths has the longer leg shortened, which results in a shorter height as an adult. Lengthening the shorter leg is less common because it involves numerous surgeries and higher risk of complications, the researchers explained.

But they also found that each extra inch of adult height was associated with an average increase of $1,193 in annual income, using 2010 inflation-adjusted figures.

For men, each extra inch of height from 64 inches to 70 inches meant $1,660 more income per year, and each extra inch in height from 70 inches to 76 inches meant $788 more income per year. For women, each extra inch of height from 59 inches to 70 inches meant $1,186 more income per year, the researchers suggested.

This means the average 70-inch-tall man makes $3,321 more per year than the average 68-inch-tall man. Over 50 years of working, the taller man would make an additional $166,047, according to the researchers.

The study, which followed more than 12,600 Americans from 1979 until 2010, is to be presented Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), in Washington, D.C. Research presented at medical meetings is typically considered preliminary, because it has not undergone the intense scrutiny of published studies.

Despite the known disadvantages of leg-lengthening surgery, these findings suggest it “may have some overlooked benefits,” study author Eric Peng, a medical student at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, said in an AAP news release.

More information

The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more about leg lengthening and shortening.

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Brain Chemistry May Change to Cope With Pain

FRIDAY, Oct. 23, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Brain chemistry may change to help people tolerate arthritis pain, a small study suggests.

Researchers applied heat to the skin of 17 people with arthritis and nine people without the disease, and found that the more opiate receptors in the brain, the higher a person’s ability to withstand pain. Opiate receptors are proteins in the brain that link up with narcotic painkillers and help reduce feelings of pain.

PET scans also showed the arthritis patients had more opiate receptors, which seems to be an adaptive response to help them cope with their chronic pain, said Christopher Brown and colleagues at the University of Manchester in England.

“As far as we are aware, this is the first time that these changes have been associated with increased resilience to pain and shown to be adaptive,” Brown said in a university news release.

The study doesn’t prove, however, that arthritis pain actually led to the increase in opiate receptors.

Still, Brown said, “although the mechanisms of these adaptive changes are unknown, if we can understand how we can enhance them, we may find ways of naturally increasing resilience to pain without the side effects associated with many pain-killing drugs.”

The study was published Oct. 23 in the journal Pain.

“This is very exciting because it changes the way we think about chronic pain,” Anthony Jones, director of the Manchester Pain Consortium, said in the news release.

There is generally a negative and fatalistic view of chronic pain — pain that extends beyond six months, he said. “This study shows that although the group as a whole are more physiologically vulnerable, the whole pain system is very flexible and that individuals can adaptively upregulate their resilience to pain,” he said.

“It may be that some simple interventions can further enhance this natural process, and designing smart molecules or simple non-drug interventions to do a similar thing is potentially attractive,” Jones said.

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about chronic pain.

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Illnesses, Deaths Spur FDA Warning on Hepatitis C Drugs

FRIDAY, Oct. 23, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Reports of deaths and illnesses occurring soon after use are prompting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to issue warnings on two drugs used to fight the hepatitis C virus.

The drugs, called Viekira Pak and Technivie, appeared linked to serious liver damage in patients with advanced liver disease, the agency warned in a statement issued Thursday.

Of 26 cases reported worldwide where use of the medications has been the possible or probable cause of illness, 10 patients either died or required organ transplant after liver failure, and 16 patients had some form of liver dysfunction. In most cases, liver damage occurred within one to four weeks of patients starting treatment, the FDA said.

The cases occurred after the two drugs were approved by the FDA — Viekira Pak in December of 2014 and Technivie in July of 2015, the statement said. The agency believes that there may be other cases that have gone unreported.

Based on the reports, the FDA is now warning that “Viekira Pak and Technivie may cause serious liver injury, including life-threatening liver failure, mainly in patients with underlying advanced liver disease.”

And, “as a result,” the agency added, “we are requiring the manufacturer [AbbVie] to add new information about this safety risk to the drug labels.”

The FDA says that anyone taking Viekira Pak or Technivie who begins experiencing “fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, yellow eyes or skin, or light-colored stools” should contact their doctor immediately, as these symptoms might indicate liver injury.

“Patients should not stop taking these medicines without first talking to their health care professionals,” the FDA added, because “stopping treatment early could result in drug resistance to other hepatitis C medicines.”

Viekira Pak and Technivie are used to treat patients with chronic hepatitis C, an infection that can last a lifetime and lead to serious liver and other health problems, including cirrhosis, liver cancer and death. These drugs lower the amount of hepatitis C virus in the body by preventing it from multiplying and may slow down the disease, the FDA statement explained.

Viekira Pak is a combination of dasabuvir, ombitasvir, paritaprevir, and ritonavir used with or without ribavirin, another hepatitis C medicine. It is approved for use in patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C infection, including those with the liver ailment known as compensated cirrhosis.

Technivie is a combination of ombitasvir, paritaprevir and ritonavir, used in combination with ribavirin. It is approved for use in patients with genotype 4 chronic hepatitis C virus infection without cirrhosis.

According to the FDA, before taking Viekira Pak or Technivie, patients should tell their doctors if they: have liver problems other than hepatitis C infection or have HIV infection or are taking birth control pills that contain ethinyl estradiol.

Common side effects of Viekira Pak or Technivie include nausea, itching, and sleep problems.

Between its approval in December 2014 through August 2015, it’s estimated that Viekira Pak has been prescribed to more than 10,000 patients in the United States, but there is no data on how many prescriptions have been written for Technivie since its approval in July 2015, the FDA said.

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about hepatitis C.

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Paintball, BB Guns Can Severely Injure Kids, Study Finds

By Kathleen Doheny
HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Oct. 23, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Paintball, airsoft and BB guns are often considered harmless, but a new study confirms that the guns can cause severe, sometimes life-threatening injuries in children.

“The popular conception is that they are toys,” said Dr. Nina Mizuki Fitzgerald, the lead researcher and a pediatric emergency medicine fellow at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center/Children’s Health in Dallas. Not so, she said, adding that “injuries can be extremely severe and [children] can have long-term deficits.”

In the study, Fitzgerald and her team evaluated medical records of children seen at Children’s Medical Center Dallas after non-powder gun accidents between 2010 and 2015. In all, 288 children, average age 11, were treated for the gun injuries, more than three-quarters of which involved a BB gun.

About one in four children had to undergo surgery for the injury. Nearly 45 percent had a foreign body injury (such as the BB). About 15 percent were hospitalized. In addition, one in 10 had a functional deficit that interfered with daily tasks, and the overwhelming majority of those were eye-related. Seven children had an eye injury so severe surgeons had to remove the eye, the researchers reported.

“The biggest take-away for parents is that kids should always be supervised when using non-powder guns,” Fitzgerald said. And children should always wear eye protection, she stressed.

While some experts propose a ban on the guns, Fitzgerald prefers more education, such as the need to wear goggles, and awareness that the injuries can be major.

Parents should know that even an accident that looks minor may need medical attention. “There may be a tiny puncture mark, and it doesn’t look bad at all. But they can have severe internal injuries,” she explained.

Fitzgerald is scheduled to present the findings Sunday at the American Academy of Pediatrics meeting in Washington, D.C.

The study results are not surprising because they build on previous research that found the same, said Dr. Roberto Warman, director of pediatric ophthalmology at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami. He has seen many such eye injuries in his years of practice, and recalls having to remove eyes that could not be saved. One child was only 3 years old, he added.

Some accidents occur, he said, after children take off their goggles at the end of play, and then a child shoots another round. Collecting the paintball guns and then the goggles could help reduce that possibility, he suggested.

Warman would like to see a ban on non-powder guns, but he said that is probably not realistic, citing pressure from the manufacturers and those who sell the devices.

He said parents need to be informed that their children must wear goggles during the gun play and need to be supervised at all times.

Studies presented at medical meetings are viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

To learn more about precautions during paintball, visit the American Academy of Pediatrics.

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