Protect eye health, leave fireworks to professionals

July 2, 2010

The Fourth of July is only days away and although the holiday is one of the most enjoyable celebrations of the year, it can also be one of the most dangerous, especially to eye health. The North Jefferson News suggests taking proper precautions to ensure that an Independence Day cookout does not come with a side of injury.

Therapeutic optometrist Dr Faye Andrews told the news source that 1,600 of the 6,400 Americans who get treated for fireworks-related injuries during the July 4 period are treated for eye injuries.

“Every year, as many as 400 Americans lose sight in one or both eyes due to fireworks,” Andrews told the news outlet.

The threat is especially prominent in children as 45 percent of fireworks related injuries are to those 14 and younger. Andrews said that the easiest way to avoid such injuries is to avoid lighting fireworks altogether and making sure to attend only sanctioned, public displays.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the most common types of fireworks to cause injury are firecrackers, bottle rockets and sparklers.