Dr Mary Gregory, OD of the Year!
July is Fireworks Safety Month. Please read the following Fireworks Safety Tips to minimize risk of accidents and injuries.
If an accident does occur, minimize the damage to the eye these six steps can help save your child’s sight.
- Do not rub the eye. Rubbing the eye may increase bleeding or make the injury worse.
- Do not attempt to rinse out the eye. This can be even more damaging than rubbing.
- Do not apply pressure to the eye itself. Holding or taping a foam cup or the bottom of a juice carton to the eye are just two tips. Protecting the eye from further contact with any item, including the child’s hand, is the goal.
- Do not stop for medicine! Over-the-counter pain relievers will not do much to relieve pain. Aspirin (should never be given to children) and ibuprofen can thin the blood, increasing bleeding. Take the child to the emergency room at once – this is more important than stopping for a pain reliever.
- Do not apply ointment. Ointment, which may not be sterile, makes the area around the eye slippery and harder for the doctor to examine.
- Do not let your child play with fireworks, even if his/her friends are setting them off. Sparklers burn at 1800 degrees Farenheit, and bottle rockets can stray off course or throw shrapnel when they explode.
A sparkler burns at 1800 degrees Fahrenheit. Imagine what it can do to a child’s eyes.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, fireworks are involved in thousands of injuries treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms each year.
Sobering Firework Related Injury Statistics:
- Fireworks devices were involved in an estimated 9,600 injuries treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms in 2011, based on the 2011 Fireworks Annual Report from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (June 26, 2012)
- An estimated 6,200 injuries were treated in hospital emergency rooms during the one-month period surrounding the Fourth of July (June 17-July 17).
- Of the fireworks-related injuries sustained, 68 percent were to males, and 32 percent were to females.
- Children younger than 15 years of age accounted for approximately 26 percent of the estimated 2011 injuries. Thirty-six percent of the estimated emergency department-treated, fireworks-related injuries were individuals younger than 20 years of age.
45% of fireworks-related injuries occur to children under the age of 14. And every year, 400
Americans lose sight in one or both eyes due to fireworks.
Uptown Eye Care warns that there is no truly safe way for nonprofessionals to use fireworks. We encourage you to enjoy the your local town’s fireworks display and leave the operation to the professionals.
Celebrate safely this 4th of July. Leave fireworks in the hands of professionals.
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!
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