Fireworks

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American Academy of Opthalmology
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SAN FRANCISCO, June 10, 1997 -- Fireworks are an important part of our Independence Day celebrations. But these displays also result in numerous injuries to participants and bystanders alike. In the United States, fireworks cause approximately 2,000 eye injuries each year. About one-third of these results in permanent eye damage and one-fourth in permanent vision loss or blindness. The American Academy of Ophthalmology encourages you to view public fireworks displays rather than put on your own show. If you do use fireworks, however, protect your eyes using the following recommendations:

• Use only legal devices. Legal fireworks are printed with the manufacturer's name, address, and a cautionary label.
  
  
• Never allow children to handle explosive fireworks. The average age of injured persons is 13 years.
  
  
• Always wear glasses or safety goggles when lighting fireworks. Even spectators should consider wearing protective gear; about one-fourth of those injured each year are bystanders.
  
  
• Never put firecrackers in tin cans, clay pots, or bottles that can shatter under impact and scatter fragments like shrapnel.
  
  
• Ignite fireworks one at a time; never ignite fireworks indoors.
  
  
• Place a bucket of water nearby to put out fires or douse fireworks that don't work.
  
  
• In the case of an eye injury, do not touch the eye. Immediately seek emergency medical attention.
  
  

For more information about fireworks and the eyes, contact Melissa Hurley, Dane Pascoe or Michelle Stephens at 415-561-8500, or media@aao.org. Visit the Academy's website at www.eyenet.org.

CONTACT:Melissa Hurley, Dane Pascoe or Michelle Stephens of American Academy of Opthalmology, 415-561-8500, or media@aao.org, or www.eyenet.org