Tips to combat firework eye injury horrors

While many people across the United States are hosting barbeques, attending parades and firework displays, and picnicking with their families today, ophthalmologists may find themselves celebrating Independence Day a little differently-handling emergencies due to firework-related eye injuries.

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Over the past 3 years, the number of eye injuries caused by fireworks has more than doubled, the American Academy of Ophthalmology warned this week.

The latest annual fireworks injury report issued by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission stated that 1,300 eye injuries related to fireworks were treated in U.S. emergency rooms in 2014-up from 600 just 3 years ago.

Types of fireworks eye injuries can include burns to the eye and eyelid, abrasions that result in infections and scarring, retinal detachment, and rupture of the eyeball.

The 2015 fireworks survey by the Academy in San Francisco found that only 10% of U.S. adults wear eye protection when using fireworks, yet 3 times that number wear eye protection when they do other activities such as home repairs or house cleaning.

Many ophthalmologists have never come across a firework-related eye injury case during their career, but due to the incidents’ rising number, this soon may change.

Tony Pira, MD-clinical director, department of ophthalmology, Boston Medical Center-shares his story of the first time he was confronted with a firework-related eye injury, and offers advice to his colleagues who may find themselves in a similar situation this weekend:

I started my ophthalmology residency at Washington University in St. Louis back in 2000. I was a brand new eye resident, and my first day of call was July 4.

In Missouri, consumer purchasing of fireworks is legal. I was with a more senior resident taking “buddy” call. At first, all seemed well. We had some frozen custard, a St. Louis staple, and watched fireworks from atop the parking structure. However, a call came from the emergency department.

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Two young boys, around 13 years old, had been playing with fireworks. Specifically, they were having a “bottle rocket fight,” in which they fired bottle rockets at each other. This turned out exactly as one might fear, as one of the boys was hit in the eye by a bottle rocket.

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