Fireworks can cause eye injuries such as rupture of the globe of the eye, chemical and thermal burns of the eye, corneal abrasions and retinal detachment.
Our dear, the holiday season has arrived!
With the most beautiful wishes, the Svjetlost Clinic wants to remind and warn you to protect yourself and your closest, especially your eyes, in this holiday atmosphere.
New Year's Eve is in front of us, and celebration with an abundance of alcohol and easily accessible pyrotechnics can have tragic consequences. Pyrotechnic agents are not harmless toys and should be treated reasonably for your own and environmental safety.
Like a firework, petards also take their roots from China, where they are used to mark important events since the 9th century Song Dynasty, and Marko Polo is responsible for moving fireworks to Europe. Thus, in the 13th century, the Italians first started with this new kind of fun, before they became global entertainment.
Half of the injured are observers, one third younger than 15
Unfortunately, it is well known that during this holiday season there are frequent and dangerous eye injuries, especially from petards and other fireworks. Every year thousands of people, many of whom are children, suffer from severe eye injuries. In the toughest cases, rupture of the globe of the eye, chemical and thermal burns of the eye, corneal abrasions, retinal detachment and other conditions may occur and lead to permanent vision impairment.
It should be known that almost 50% of those who have suffered severe damage are not people who managed pyrotechnic tools but are observers, and 35% of all victims are unfortunately under 15.
How to deal with eye injuries?
The injured party needs to reduce panic and calm it down as much as possible. It is important to prevent the rubbing of the eye, as in this way harmful contents that will aggravate the injury can penetrate damaged tissue. However, rubbing the eye is an automatic response to pain and it is hard to expect calm behaviour of the injured person. The injured person shouldn’t wash the eye himself because it could aggravate injure (sometimes even more than rubbing).
Avoid taking aspirin or ibuprofen to reduce pain because they dilute the blood, making it difficult to stop bleeding. Of home drug remedies, paracetamol can be considered although it will not significantly reduce pain, placebo effect can also be taken into consideration, and the injured will achieve a certain calmness. Generally, pharmacies and self-treatment attempts should be avoided with these injuries, and injured person should be referred to an emergency medical centre immediately.
With the most beautiful wishes, the Svjetlost Clinic wants to remind and warn you to protect yourself and your closest, especially your eyes, in this holiday atmosphere.
New Year's Eve is in front of us, and celebration with an abundance of alcohol and easily accessible pyrotechnics can have tragic consequences. Pyrotechnic agents are not harmless toys and should be treated reasonably for your own and environmental safety.
Like a firework, petards also take their roots from China, where they are used to mark important events since the 9th century Song Dynasty, and Marko Polo is responsible for moving fireworks to Europe. Thus, in the 13th century, the Italians first started with this new kind of fun, before they became global entertainment.
Half of the injured are observers, one third younger than 15
Unfortunately, it is well known that during this holiday season there are frequent and dangerous eye injuries, especially from petards and other fireworks. Every year thousands of people, many of whom are children, suffer from severe eye injuries. In the toughest cases, rupture of the globe of the eye, chemical and thermal burns of the eye, corneal abrasions, retinal detachment and other conditions may occur and lead to permanent vision impairment.
It should be known that almost 50% of those who have suffered severe damage are not people who managed pyrotechnic tools but are observers, and 35% of all victims are unfortunately under 15.
How to deal with eye injuries?
The injured party needs to reduce panic and calm it down as much as possible. It is important to prevent the rubbing of the eye, as in this way harmful contents that will aggravate the injury can penetrate damaged tissue. However, rubbing the eye is an automatic response to pain and it is hard to expect calm behaviour of the injured person. The injured person shouldn’t wash the eye himself because it could aggravate injure (sometimes even more than rubbing).
Avoid taking aspirin or ibuprofen to reduce pain because they dilute the blood, making it difficult to stop bleeding. Of home drug remedies, paracetamol can be considered although it will not significantly reduce pain, placebo effect can also be taken into consideration, and the injured will achieve a certain calmness. Generally, pharmacies and self-treatment attempts should be avoided with these injuries, and injured person should be referred to an emergency medical centre immediately.
Remember what to do if an eye injury occurs:
1. Look for medical help immediately
2. Do not rub your eyes
3. Do not wash your eyes
4. Avoid pressure on the injured eye
5. Do not take a foreign body out of the eye yourself
6. Do not take anticoagulants (aspirin, brufen)
Tips for avoiding injuries when handling pyrotechnics
Here are some recommendations for best ways to avoid serious eye injuries by fireworks:
· Allow a professional to do fireworks and you enjoy it
· Respect the safety barriers at least 150 meters away
· Do not touch unexploded pyrotechnic agents
· Do not allow children to play, even with sprinklers
· Wear protective goggles that have satisfactory safety parameters
Let happiness and fireworks be in your view ...
Not in your eye ...
Dr. Adi Pašalić, spec. Ophthalmologist