Among the many potential injuries from fireworks, eye injuries are one of the most frequent and most damaging.
According to Prevent Blindness, fireworks are responsible for more than 10,000 emergency room visits each year. About 19 percent of those are injuries to the eyes.
Interestingly, bystanders have the most eye injuries, according to the US Eye Injury Registry. This suggests that bystanders are too close to the fireworks operators.
According to ophthalmologist, Tony Pira, injuries to eyes can be devastating. Fireworks can cause burns to the eyes and eyelid, scratches and cuts that result in infections and scarring, retinal detachment, and even rupture of the eyeball.
These potential problems are not taken very seriously by fireworks operators. The 2015 fireworks survey by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, shows that only 10 percent of fireworks users wear eye protection. More people wear eye protection while playing sports (13 percent), doing home repair projects (26 percent), and using power tools (47 percent). But somehow using devices that contain gunpowder is taken much less seriously.
Damage from fireworks can include shrapnel or other foreign material that can rupture the eye globe or lodge in the cornea. Gunpowder burns can leave permanent scarring and vision loss.
Still, doctors say rupture of the eye globe is the biggest worry. Any damage to the eye should be treated as an emergency. The first thing people should do is protect the eye itself. Do not rub, rinse or touch any part of the eye. Tape a cup over the eye to prevent any accidental touching and head immediately for the emergency room.
Do not try to pry open the eye. Do not try to rinse the eye.
Pira writes in Ophthalmology Times that injuries from fireworks occur because of the speed and unpredictable movement of the explosives.
“The power of gunpowder is such that the speed of fireworks and shrapnel are much faster than the blink reflex,” Pira writes.
Shatterproof glasses are essential for fireworks operators. Spectators should stay at least 500 feet away from the fireworks operator.
