Eye Safety Rules for Firework Season
Did you recently enjoy the fireworks on the fourth of July? It is a sight for sore eyes when watching the amazing and colorful fireworks light up the sky. What’s more important is that certain conditions and situations can turn these happy events into a nightmare for some people and their families.
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In 2019 alone, there were a total of 12 deaths and over ten thousand injuries during the mid-June to mid-July period of Independence Day. Regardless of that and other risks that any fireworks occasion presents, people tend to ignore them deliberately. Hence, this raises chances for potential injuries.
What Can You Do to Prevent Firework Injuries from Worsening?
Fireworks-related eye injuries are some of the most dangerous incidents. It includes heat burns, chemical exposure, and blunt force trauma. Therefore, you should always be aware of the significant eye injuries that fireworks can cause if you don’t follow safety rules.
Here’s what you can do to minimize the effect of fireworks injuries:
- Immediate medical attention
- Avoid rinsing your eyes
- Avoid rubbing your eyes
- Avoid removing objects stuck in the eyes
- Avoid applying pressure on the eyes
- Avoid applying any ointments or medical remedies without medical consultations.
Eye Safety Rules for Fireworks
Firstly, your priority for enjoying fireworks on a day of celebration should be a public or professional firework gathering rather than a home fireworks event. It can be extremely dangerous to handle highly explosive and burning fireworks without expertise or experience. Besides, if you have children at home or you are at any private/public place, try to leave such tasks to the professionals.
Moreover, if you are planning to attend live fireworks show near you, here are some ways that can save you from a potentially serious and blinding eye injury during fireworks:
- In case of unexploded fireworks or explosives, contact emergency personnel rather than touching them with bare hands. It might explode and cause physical injuries that are often devastating.
- Try to stand at least 500 feet away from the fireworks location and adhere to local enforcement and emergency personnel guidelines.
Additional Eye and Physical Safety Rules for Fireworks Season
Here’s what the Consumer Product Safety Commission suggests for purchasing, using, and viewing fireworks shows. These are highly precautionary eye safety rules that can save many lives while preventing serious eye injuries.
- Restrict horseplay or running around fireworks
- Keep a plentiful water source at hand in case of firework emergencies
- Avoid engaging with malfunctioning or damaged fireworks
- Restrict children from running near fireworks or playing with unexploded/damaged/malfunctioned ones. As fireworks burn at extremely high temperatures, sometimes over 2000 degrees Fahrenheit, they can be quite dangerous for kids of young age
- Adhere to local laws, store fireworks in cool places, and prevent the use of fireworks away from the designated area for the event
- Read the instructions carefully before engaging in the fireworks yourself or with anyone else
Conclusion
Are you suffering from any eye injury, condition, disorder, problem, or disease? You should find the best optometrist near you. Dr. Whitney is one of the top optometrists at Dr. Brian Whitney Optometrist in Utah.
Give us a call at (435) 586-9949 to schedule a meeting today. Visit our official website to learn more about his experience as an optometrist.
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