A mum has issued an urgent warning to other parents after her little girl experienced temporary vision problems when she turned away for just a moment while doing laundry.

Four-year-old Luca de Groot was helping her mum Jodi Lowe with the washing in March when she bit into a Persil laundry pod while Jodi’s back was turned.

The pod released its liquid onto little Luca’s face, and she immediately began crying and unintentionally rubbed the product across her eyes before Jodi could step in.

The mum quickly took her daughter into the shower to rinse the product away and checked the washing pod packaging, which advised to “immediately flush eyes with water and seek medical advice.”

As Luca’s distress continued, Jodi took her daughter to hospital, where doctors carried out medical procedures after several attempts to rinse her eyes were not fully effective.

A follow-up procedure revealed an issue with Luca’s eye, and she later received a special amniotic membrane treatment designed to support healing.

Photos taken during her recovery showed Luca’s eyes red and swollen, with irritation appearing a few days after contact with the detergent.

After 16 days in hospital, Luca was able to return home, though her vision is still gradually improving.

The washing capsule, sold as Omo in Australia but marketed as Persil in the UK, was described as a three-in-one “comfort freshness” capsule.

Jodi, who lives in Perth, Western Australia, believes the warnings on the packaging could be improved following her daughter’s experience.

Jodi, a 34-year-old sales manager, said:
“Luca was helping me with the laundry and I gave her the pod just to hold while I put the washing on.

By the time I turned around, she had already bitten into it and it sprayed into her eyes. They are quite firm, so when they break open the liquid can spread.

Kids being kids, she rubbed her eyes, which meant it reached both eyes.

She has never tried to bite one before. It was very unusual for her. She often helps me with laundry but normally doesn’t play with them.

They look and smell quite pleasant, which can make them interesting to children.

I put her straight into the shower and checked the product instructions, which said to seek medical advice, so I didn’t think the situation would become so serious.

She was crying and very upset.

When she didn’t calm down, I called a safety advice line and they recommended taking her to hospital.”

While in hospital, Luca received three medical procedures after doctors identified a problem with her left eye, including an amniotic membrane treatment where a thin layer of healing tissue is placed on the eye to support recovery.

After spending 16 days in hospital, Luca was discharged, although doctors believe some redness around her eyes may remain for the next six to twelve months.

Jodi said:
“There was a point where doctors thought she might need another procedure because she wasn’t opening her eyes, but we managed to encourage her to do so.

Her vision in the left eye is not fully back yet, but it is slowly improving. She has a slight vision difficulty at the moment.

It could have been much worse. It has been a very difficult experience. It’s hard to see your child in discomfort and feel helpless.”

“One incident too many”
Jodi believes the current warnings on Persil and Omo packaging are not strong enough and should be improved.

She said:
“I know the instructions say to keep them away from children, but the packet doesn’t clearly say to go straight to hospital. It only says to seek medical advice.

There should be more information. I didn’t realize the level of injury they could cause.

You wouldn’t expect direct contact to lead to such serious eye irritation, several procedures and over two weeks in hospital.

There needs to be greater awareness on the packaging.”

A spokesperson for Unilever, which owns the global laundry brand, said:

“Consumer safety is extremely important to Unilever. Any incident involving children and laundry capsules is one too many.

Our liquid detergent capsules are not designed for children, and the packaging includes child-safety closures along with warnings on the front and back.

We have spoken with the mother about her child’s experience and will review the warnings and safety advice on our laundry capsule products in Australia.”