SAN FRANCISCO - Each Fourth of July, thousands of people are injured from using consumer fireworks.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission:
July is Fireworks Eye Safety Awareness Month, and through its EyeSmartTM campaign the American Academy of Ophthalmology wants to remind consumers to leave fireworks to professionals. "Too many Fourth of July celebrations are ruined because a child has to be rushed to the emergency room after a fireworks accident," said Marguerite McDonald, MD, a clinical correspondent for the Academy. "Potentially blinding injuries can be avoided if families attend a professional public fireworks display instead of putting on a home fireworks display."
"Among the most serious injuries are abrupt trauma to the eye from bottle rockets," according to Dr. McDonald. The rockets fly erratically, often injuring bystanders. Injuries from bottle rockets can include eye lid lacerations, corneal abrasions, traumatic cataract, retinal detachment, optic nerve damage, rupture of the eyeball, eye muscle damage, and complete blindness.
For a safe and healthy Independence Day celebration, the Academy urges observance of the following fireworks safety tips:
Find Eye M.D.s in your area or ask an Eye M.D. a question by visiting www.GetEyeSmart.org [1]. Consumers can submit questions about eye health to an ophthalmologist at http://www.geteyesmart.org/eyesmart/ask/ [2]
For a helpful infographic from the AAO about fireworks safety, click here [3].
Source: American Academy of Ophthalmology [4]
Links:
[1] http://www.GetEyeSmart.org
[2] http://www.geteyesmart.org/eyesmart/ask/
[3] http://www.geteyesmart.org/eyesmart/eye-health-news/fireworks-injuries-infographic.cfm
[4] http://www.aao.org/
[5] https://momsteam.com/fireworks/keeing-children-safe-this-july-fourth-stay-away-from-fireworks
[6] https://momsteam.com/fireworks/leave-fireworks-professionals-this-fourth-july