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Fireworks Can
Cause Blindness
Oooooooh, Aaaaaaah. They’re an' exciting, breathtaking part of an All-American holiday. But fireworks can made you see things differently.
Fireworks blind, maim and kill more than 11,000 people each year. More than half of the injuries are to children. Fireworks not only injure users, but they also assault bystanders. Nearly 40 percent of fireworks injuries impact bystanders.
The three types of fireworks that keep hospital emergency rooms busy during this holiday period are bottle rockets, firecrackers and sparklers. "Bottle rockets and firecrackers are miniature explosives,” notes Tim Gresham, Prevent Blindness Virginia Executive Director. "They can blow up in any direction. Sparklers burn at temperatures hot enough to melt gold. Giving these divices to young children could mean sentencing them to time in hospital emergency rooms.”
One of the reasons fireworks injuries continue to occur is because people just don’t know how dangerous these devices can be. "Often they don’t realize, until they’re injured, that the risk of blindness or loss of life outweighs the excitement of watching fireworks explode,” said Gresham.
Prevent Blindness Virginia wants everyone to understand the hazards fireworks pose to both life and sight. That’s why the Firewords Safety Test is being offered free to anyone who calls Prevent Blindness Virginia at 804-365-0773.
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