A horrifying household accident has led an Australian mother to speak out, issuing a desperate warning to parents everywhere after her 4-year-old daughter was left partially blind from a product millions keep under their sinks—laundry pods.
The incident unfolded in what should have been a routine moment. Jodi Lowe was doing laundry with her daughter, Luca de Groot, when the toddler, out of curiosity, bit into a Persil (Omo in Australia) washing pod. The pod burst, sending its chemical contents spraying directly into Luca’s face.
Instantly, she let out a piercing scream. Before Jodi could react, Luca had instinctively rubbed her eyes, unknowingly worsening the chemical burn.
In a panic, Jodi rushed Luca to the shower and began rinsing her face, following the product’s label instruction: “Immediately flush with water and seek medical advice.” But things deteriorated quickly. Luca’s eye was in visible distress, and Jodi wasted no time getting her to the hospital.
Doctors at the emergency room flushed Luca’s eyes four separate times, but the pain and damage persisted. What followed was every parent’s nightmare—emergency surgery, followed by a second, and ultimately a third operation where doctors performed an amniotic membrane transplant, a rare procedure to restore damaged eyes.
Luca spent 16 days in the hospital, enduring pain and uncertainty. Today, her vision in the left eye remains impaired. While there’s hope it may improve over time, nothing is guaranteed.
“It was the most traumatic experience of our lives,” Jodi said in an interview with The Daily Mail. “You never think something so small—something you use every day—could do this much damage.”
Now, Jodi is demanding action. While laundry pod labels do warn about child safety, she says they fall far short of the severity these products can cause. “They just say ‘seek medical advice.’ That’s not enough. Parents don’t realize these pods can burn eyes and lead to surgery and vision loss.”
Unilever, the manufacturer of Persil/Omo, responded, emphasizing their commitment to safety and child-resistant packaging. They’ve since contacted Jodi and are considering a review of their safety messaging across Australia.
Jodi’s story has already made waves online, serving as a stark reminder that child safety warnings must be loud, clear, and specific. No family should have to endure what hers has.
As Luca continues her long journey toward healing, her mother’s message is simple but urgent:
If it can blind a child, it shouldn’t be in reach.