Facts on Firework Eye Safety

Fireworks are exciting, fun and spectacular, but decades of experience have taught us that they are dangerous and should be left to professional firework handlers.

Every Fourth of July period fireworks send approximately 11,000 individuals to the emergency room and 18 percent of these visits involve an injury to the eye.

The typical victim is a teenager, at home, unsupervised, with a group of friends. They are playing with fireworks and chances are one of them will end up in the emergency room with an injury to the head, eyes or hands. Losing your sight or losing a finger is a tragic price to pay for a few minutes of fun with fireworks.

In an effort to reduce these preventable injuries, MCOA is encouraging families to attend local public fireworks displays instead of using fireworks at home this Fourth of July. This recommendation is made as part of Fireworks Eye Safety Month sponsored by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Attending a public fireworks display on the Fourth is a safe way to honor our tradition of independence.

Although illegal fireworks, bottle rockets and Roman candles account for the majority of injuries, seemingly harmless sparklers also cause numerous injuries each year. For children under the age of five, sparklers account for three-quarters of all fireworks injuries. Fascinated by the bright sparks, children find these sticks of fire-burning as hot as 1,800 degrees, hot enough to melt gold – irresistible to touch.

Losing a child, an eye or a home is a tragic price to pay for backyard fireworks displays. Leave fireworks to the professionals. Professional fireworks shows are safer, cheaper and more spectacular.