Eye Injuries from Fireworks Too Common in Summer

One of the most recognizable symbols of an Independence Day celebration is the fireworks display. It is a time-honored holiday tradition that unfortunately carries with it the risk of causing serious damage to the eyes. Despite many of the advances made in eye surgery, repair of the severely injured eye remains a challenge.

“Firework-related eye injuries are preventable injuries,” said Dennis Han, MD, Professor of Ophthalmology and Chief of Vitreoretinal Surgery at the Froedtert and Medical College Eye Institute. “We should take every possible precaution against them.”

“An eye injury can be a life-altering event - especially for young children, who appear to account for a majority of firework injuries. Losing your sight is a devastating price to pay for a few minutes of fun with fireworks,” Han said.

According to the United States Eye Injury Registry, approximately 12,000 Americans are treated in emergency departments annually for firework-related injuries, and approximately 2,000 of those injuries involve the eye. Almost half of those injured are simply bystanders.

About two-thirds of fireworks-related eye injuries result from bottle rocket use. These small devices consist of a firework attached to the end of a thin stick approximately one foot long. Participants insert the rocket into a bottle acting as a base and then light the fuse. After ignition, the bottle rocket launches from the bottle into the air with little or no control from the participant. Wisconsin is one of only 27 states that allow the use of bottle rockets.

“Nearly every year, my colleagues and I see tragic injuries resulting in a loss of vision and sometimes even complete loss of an eye as a result of recreational use of fireworks,” said Dale Heuer, MD, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. “To keep holidays from turning into tragedies, it's best to leave fireworks to the professionals, who take extensive safety precautions when producing the spectacular displays.”

While Dr. Heuer encourages a ‘just say no’ attitude when it comes to recreational fireworks use, he suggests that at the very least, all participants and bystanders wear protective safety eyewear. In case of an eye injury, do not touch, rub or press the injured eye. Seek immediate care from an ophthalmologist or hospital emergency room.

Important Facts About Fireworks Eye Safety
Physicians at the Eye Institute offer these tips and facts to help keep you and your family safe during this Fourth of July holiday:

• Attend only professional fireworks displays. Don’t ever let your children play with fireworks of any kind.
• Fireworks were responsible for 19 deaths in the first 10 months of 1999.
• Fireworks sent 6,300 people to the emergency room during the 1999 Fourth of July holiday period (June 23 to July 23).
• All fireworks are dangerous. Firecrackers, bottle rockets, sparklers and Roman candles account for most firework injuries.
• Protect children. Don’t entertain the family with fireworks. Forty percent of those injured last year were under the age of 14, and many of them were bystanders.
• 30% of the injuries that occurred last year involved burns to hands, wrists and arms, and 20% of injuries were to the eyes.
• 10% of children injured by fireworks suffer permanent damage, such as the loss of an eye, a finger or a hand.
• Sparklers burn as hot as 2,000 degrees, hot enough to melt gold. For children under the age of five, sparklers account for three-quarters of all fireworks injuries.
• Legal fireworks carry the name of the manufacturer, the words “Class C Common Fireworks,” and a warning label. If these are missing, you should consider them illegal and extremely unsafe.
• If you find unexploded fireworks, don’t touch them. Contact your local fire or police department immediately.

  This article contains information from
  Froedtert and Medical College Eye Institute

  Article Created: 2002-06-14
  Article Updated: 2002-06-19

  
  MCW Health News presents up-to-date information on patient care and medical research by the physicians of the Medical College of Wisconsin.