Local Expert Says July 4th Period Can Be Dangerous For Your Eyes
By Lynne Adkins
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Take care this holiday weekend to avoid serious eye issues.
The July 4th holiday weekend lands too many people in the emergency room, some with eye injuries from sparklers and fireworks, and others from injuries during the family gathering, according to Dr. Michael Della Vecchia, co-director of the Wills Eye Institute emergency room.
"We see a lot of the picnic related injuries," he tells KYW Newsradio, "people getting hit with balls or bats or whatever; barbecue type injuries, getting hurt with flame flashes or so forth. These are the most common that we see, (and) trauma from people falling down."
If you do get burned from fireworks or get debris in your eye, he advises, seek help immediately to avoid further injury.
"Sparklers actually burn at roughly 2,000 degrees," he notes. "They fortunately do not burn long, but if you're in close proximity to the sparkler and it hits your eye or skin, you will get a burn."
He says do not apply gauze or put pressure on the eye following an injury, which can make the issue worse.
