Eye Safety Awareness Week

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Eye Safety Awareness Week
The American Society of Ocular Trauma (ASOT) and
the United States Eye Injury Registry (USEIR)
sponsors Eye Safety Awareness Week from June
27 July 5. Currently the United States Eye
Injury Registry has over 13,500 severe eye
injury reports in its Database and of these
approximately 5 of the eye injuries are due to
fireworks.
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Source of Eye Injuries
Source United States Eye Injury Registry - 2002
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Fireworks Related Injuries
Approximately 12,000 Americans are treated in
Emergency Departments annually for fireworks
related injuries. Of these, approximately 20
are eye injuries. As many as 400 Americans loose
vision permanently in one or both eyes each year
due to eye injuries caused by fireworks.
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Do not use Bottle Rockets!
The United States Eye Injury Registry has
targeted bottle rockets as the major source of
fireworks-related eye injuries. Data from the
United States Eye Injury Registry shows that
bystanders are injured by fireworks more often
than operators themselves and bottle rockets are
the single most commonly implicated device
causing severe eye injury. The majority of those
injured are young males.
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Types of Fireworks Causing Eye Injuries
Source United States Eye Injury Registry - 2003
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When Eye Injuries Due to Fireworks Occur
Most fireworks eye injuries occur around the
Independence Day Holiday with a second large
group of injuries occurring during the New Years
Holiday.
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When Serious FireworksEye Injuries Occur
Source United States Eye Injury Registry - 2003
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For A Safe Independence Day Celebration
Attend professionally sponsored public fireworks
displays!
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Setting of Injuring Fireworks
Source United States Eye Injury Registry - 2003
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For A Safe Independence Day Celebration
USEIR statistics show that 69 of eye injuries
caused by fireworks occur at home.
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For A Safe Independence Day Celebration
If you use fireworks, follow these safety rules
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Safety Suggestions

• Never use bottle rockets!
• Both operators and spectators should wear safety
  glasses or safety goggles.
• Never put fireworks in glass containers, tin
  cans, or clay pots since these objects can
  shatter.

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Safety Suggestions

• Never allow young children to play with
  fireworks.
• Provide close adult supervision if older
  children use fireworks.
• Sparklers, often thought of as the safe
  firework and given to small children, burn at
  1,800 degrees
• Fahrenheit (nearly hot enough to melt gold) and
  cause
• third degree burns. Use only with great
  caution!

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Safety Suggestions

• Never use illegal or homemade fireworks.
• Read and follow manufacturers label
  instructions. Fireworks without these labels
  should not be used!
• Never try to relight malfunctioning fireworks.
• Always have a fire extinguisher or large
  container of water on hand to douse fireworks
  that misfire.

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Safety Suggestions

• In case of an eye injury
• Do not touch, rub or press on the injured eye.
• Do not remove foreign object from the injured
  eye.
• Loosely cover the injured eye with a paper or
  plastic cup to prevent additional injury.
• Seek immediate care from an Ophthalmologist or
  Hospital Emergency Room.

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Have A Safe Independence Day Celebration!
Attend professionally sponsored public fireworks
displays on the Fourth of July, a safe and
patriotic way to honor our tradition of
independence, freedom, shared values, and hopes
for a healthy future.