Firework Safety

The 4th of July is almost here! For many, fireworks are set off in celebration of this holiday.

While beautiful, they can be dangerous. Follow these safety tips while celebrating.

Wear Protective Eyewear

An estimated 8,700 fireworks-related injuries (or 67 percent of the total estimated fireworks-related injuries in 2017) were treated in U.S. hospital emergency.

14% of these were eye injuries

Basic Fireworks Safety

• Follow the instructions
• Never attempt to make your own fireworks
• Never light fireworks off indoors
• Keep a bucket of water nearby
• Wet fireworks down after use
• Don’t attempt to light a dud firework
• Keep pets indoors

Sparklers are fireworks, too

• Young children shouldn’t handle sparklers
• Sparklers burn at a temperature of 2,000 degrees
• Always have an adult present
• Keep sparklers away from face & clothing
• Don’t throw sparklers

What to do with an injury

• Seek medical attention immediately
• Do not rub your eyes
• Do not rinse your eyes
• Do not apply pressure
• Do not remove any objects that are stuck in the eye
• Do not apply ointments or take any blood-thinning pain medications such as aspirin or ibuprofen

Specialty Eye Institute wishes you a safe and enjoyable 4th of July!