Fireworks Eye Safety Recommendations

The eye doctors and staff at Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center wish to offer some fireworks eye safety recommendations for the July 4th holiday. “This July 4th, it’s best to leave the use and display of fireworks to trained fire prevention and pyrotechnic professionals. Fireworks displays can easily get out of control. We know that they can pose a real risk to eye safety with a considerable incidence of eye injury. In fact, eye injuries are the second most frequent injury we see from emergency room each July 4th weekend,” said Scott Buck, M.D.

Family and friends gathering for the celebration should use simple precautions everyone can take to prevent eye injuries. The best defense against kids suffering severe eye injuries and burns is to not let kids play with any fireworks. Individuals should not purchase, use or store fireworks of any type. Protect yourself, your family and your friends by avoiding personal fireworks use-attend only authorized public fireworks displays conducted by licensed operators, but be aware that even professional displays can be dangerous. However, if an eye accident does occur, there are a few things you should know:

• Do not rub the eye. 
• Do not attempt to rinse out the eye. This can be even more damaging than rubbing.
• Do not apply pressure to the eye itself-but protecting the eye from further contact with any item, including the person’s hand. 
• Do not stop for medicine! Over-the-counter pain relievers will not do much to relieve pain. Aspirin (should never be given to children) and ibuprofen can thin the blood, increasing bleeding. Take the person to the emergency room at once.
• Do not apply ointments or drops. They may not be sterile and may make the area around the eye slippery and harder for the doctor to examine.

Once you are seen in the emergency room please feel free to have them call Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223 as we always have an eye doctor “on call” to provide consultation and continued care for you.

If you or someone you know has questions about fireworks eye safety and eye injuries please feel free to call Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser.

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center in Valparaiso, IN is staffed by a team of Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses, eyewear and optical services. We are conveniently located for patients seeking eye care from throughout northern Indiana including La Porte, Mishawaka, South Bend, Michigan City, Crown Point, Merrillville, Chesterton, South Haven, Westville, Hebron, Lowell, Valparaiso and Walkerton as well as Chicago, Illinois suburban areas of Frankfurt, Calumet City, Monee and Crete.