Fireworks Eye Safety

June is Fireworks Eye Safety and Cataract Awareness Month, but this blog will only cover the fireworks eye safety. As our country gets closer and closer to opening up in a somewhat normal way, and with the 4th of July just around the corner, we can expect that there will be fireworks to celebrate our independence and freedom. Unfortunately, with fireworks comes injuries every year, including the eye(s).

I personally had a patient, when I was a student at the University of Houston College of Optometry, that had a firecracker explode around his face, and the carbon was all in and around the eye, eyelid and face. He had a lot of inflammation and discomfort, but fortunately he was able to escape with relatively good vision in both eyes.

Although fireworks and their fun friends like sparklers, roman candles, and bottle rockets can cause severe injuries in general, only about 15% of them are eye injuries according to a recent Consumer Product Safety Commission report. Unfortunately kids and young adults are often the victims, per the report, with about 36% of kids under 15 making up the total number of injuries! The report also mentions that about half of the cases that require an emergency room visit were to people 20 or younger!

Kids love the sparklers, but need to be extremely careful with them as they can burn up to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit, about 10 times that of boiling water! Another study also noted that about 65% of people injured by fireworks were actually bystanders, so everyone needs to pay attention!

If somehow, someway, you end up with an eye injury from fireworks, it should be considered a medical emergency. Get medical attention immediately! Do not rinse or rub your eyes, do not apply pressure to them, and do not remove any objects that may be lodged in or around the eye! Also, do not apply any ointments or take any blood-thinning pain medications, such as aspirin or ibuprofen, unless prescribed by a doctor!

Let’s be safe this holiday season! Stay alert around fireworks, and take appropriate measures if you, or someone you know, suffers an injury from fireworks. Enjoy your 4th of July!

Until next time...