Summer is an exciting season. The weather gets warmer and people begin enjoying outdoor activities. One favorite family pastimes are setting off fireworks. They are most common around the beginning of July but are often enjoyed all summer long. That’s why it is so important to think about your eyes this month.

Fireworks-Related Eye Injuries Are Real

It is easy to dismiss stories of people being injured by fireworks as old wives’ tales, but the fact is that these incidents are very real. People can and do get hurt when using fireworks. Many times, the injury occurs due to a lack of safety measures while handling these festive explosives.

Nearly 11,000 people are rushed to the emergency room each year. Approximately 18% of these injuries involve the patient’s eyes. Eyes are the second highest area of injury next to skin burns. Out of those, bottle rockets cause 15% of all fireworks-related eye injuries.

While those statistics are concerning enough, parents and grandparents will be alarmed to learn that children under the age of 15 are the most frequently injured age group. Those harmless sparklers everyone loves to give kids make up around 10% of fireworks injuries.

What Can You Do to Protect Your Eyes This Summer?

You don’t have to give up fireworks completely. What can you do to protect your eyes and the eyes of those around you this summer?

• Plan to go to a professional firework display instead of setting up your own.
• When setting off fireworks, make sure everyone in the area wears safety glasses. Sunglasses or regular prescription glasses do not count.
• Never allow children to handle or be around fireworks unattended. Parents should be in the area to observe 100% of the time.

You can’t prevent every injury, but you can reduce the risk and reduce the severity of the injury if it happens.