Fireworks: Eye Injuries Are Common

Main Category: Eye Health / Blindness
Article Date: 05 Jul 2009 - 0:00 PDT

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Independence Day and fireworks often go hand-in-hand. And even though fireworks have long been a tradition during this holiday, the American Optometric Association (AOA) cautions that they also carry the risk of serious injury to the eyes.

Each year, fireworks are responsible for thousands of injuries to adults and children. Many injuries affect eyesight, causing permanent damage and in some cases blinding the victims.

According to the most recent data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), fireworks were involved in an estimated 9,800 injuries treated in hospital emergency rooms in 2007. The CPSC also reported the eyes were the second most commonly injured part of the body with approximately 1,400 instances. Of those eye injuries, one-third resulted in permanent eye damage. While most of these injuries were contusions, lacerations and foreign bodies in the eyes the most important thing to note is that many of these injuries were preventable.

Bottle rockets and sparklers are two of the most common fireworks associated with eye injuries. Bottle rockets can cause serious eye injuries because they are very unpredictable and tend to fly erratically which can cause injury to bystanders. They can also break the can or bottle used to shoot them off throwing shards of glass or metal into the air. Many children enjoy sparklers; however, they also send numerous children to the emergency room. Parents may not be aware that sparklers can easily burn children since they heat up to 1800 degrees (hot enough to melt gold). In addition, the sparks given off can damage the eye.

The individuals shooting off the fireworks are not the only ones being injured. Data from the United States Eye Injury Registry shows that bystanders are injured by fireworks 50 percent of the time.Be safe this year by staying away from private firework use. Protect the eyes by attending a professional display, and enjoy the spectacle in the sky.

Source
American Optometric Association