Text Resize

More eye injuries will occur tonight than on any other night of the year

Celebrate safely

While you and your family are ooh-ing and ahhh-ing over fireworks, there are a few people who have to work harder tonight than almost anyone. Firefighters, police officers, and…eye doctors.

A friend of mine, an eye surgeon, used to be the chief resident at Johns Hopkins here in Baltimore. He told me there was one night of the year when he was always on call and almost always needed: The 4th of July.

This is the high season for accidents that cause eye injuries, and about 9:00 PM tonight is zero hour.

The website for Prevent Blindness America offers these insights that might help you avoid a fireworks-related trip to the ER:

  • Nearly 6,000 Americans spent part of their July 4th holiday in the emergency room due to fireworks injuries in 2009 (the most recent year for which data is available)
  • About 1,600 of those ER visits involved eye injuries
  • Firecrackers are the most common cause of fireworks-related eye injuries, followed by sparklers and rockets
  • Children aged 15 years and younger were involved in nearly 40 percent of all fireworks injuries
  • In children under the age of five, half their total injuries were caused by sparklers
  • Bystanders suffer more fireworks-related injuries than fireworks-operators do

If you or someone you’re with on the 4th experiences an eye injury, here are the best first steps recommended by Prevent Blindness America (preventblindness.org)…

If there are specks in the eye

  • DO NOT rub the eye
  • Use an eye wash or let tears wash out specks or particles
  • Lift the upper eyelid outward and down over the lower lid
  • If the speck doesn’t wash out, keep the eye closed, bandage and see a doctor or go to the emergency room

If the eye or eyelid is cut or punctured

  • DO NOT wash out the eye with water
  • DO NOT try to remove an object stuck in the eye
  • Cover the eye with a rigid shield without pressure. The bottom half of a paper cup may be used. See a doctor or go to the emergency room immediately.

Have a happy — and SAFE — 4th of July.

Back to top   |  

Recent Articles:

Load More Articles
Allan Spreen, M.D.
Dr. Allan Spreen, Chief Medical Advisor

Meet the Health Sciences Institute

The Health Sciences Institute (HSI) is an independent organization established in 1998. We’re dedicated to uncovering and researching the most urgent advances in modern underground medicine. Things you WON’T hear about in the mainstream.

Whether they come from a laboratory in Malaysia, a clinic in South America, or a university in Germany, our goal is to bring the treatments that work directly to the people who need them. We alert our Members to exciting breakthroughs in medicine, show them exactly where to go to learn more, and help them understand how they and their families can benefit from these powerful discoveries.

Learn More About the Health Sciences Institute. >