The most recent Consumer Product Safety Commission report
found that 14% of fireworks injuries were eye injuries. In the most severe
cases, fireworks can rupture the globe of the eye, cause chemical and thermal
burns, corneal abrasions and retinal detachment -all of which can
cause permanent eye damage and vision loss. Children and young adults are
frequent victims. Children age 15 and under accounted for 36% of the total
injuries, according to the commission's report. And half of the injuries
requiring an emergency room visit were to people age 20 or younger. Even sparklers can be dangerous, as
they burn at more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Sparklers were responsible for
1,200 of the injuries in the latest report, and a sparkler mishap caused one of
the fireworks deaths reported in 2017. The
people injured by fireworks aren't necessarily handling the explosives
themselves. In fact, 65% of
people injured by fireworks were bystanders, according to another
study. The statistics don't lie. Children and people not handling fireworks
themselves are in as much danger as the people actually lighting fireworks.
Please leave preparing fireworks displays to professionals
in order to decrease your risk of fireworks eye injuries. If you or someone you
know does experience a fireworks eye injury call us immediately or go directly
to the emergency room and have them call us for consultation.
