FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Protect Your Eyes by Attending Professional Fireworks Displays
(COLLEYVILLE), 7/01/2008 — Dr. Richard Driscoll, of Total Eye Care in Colleyville, suggests that families and friends stay away from private firework use this year and instead enjoy professional displays to protect and preserve eyesight.
“Each year over the holiday,” said Dr. Driscoll, “Thousands of adults and children are seriously injured as a result of fireworks and pyrotechnic devices. Many burns and injuries affect eyesight, permanently damaging and in some cases blinding the victims.”
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), an estimated 20-25 percent of fireworks injuries are to the eyes. Most of these eye injuries were contusions and lacerations. About two-thirds of the fireworks-related injuries were burns, and most of the burns involved the hands, eyes and head/face.
In 2003, four persons died and an estimated 9,300 were treated in emergency departments for fireworks-related injuries in the U.S. About 45 percent of persons injured were children ages 14 years and younger. Children ages 5-9 years have the highest injury rate for fireworks-related injuries. Most injuries involved firecrackers, rockets, and sparklers.
Believe it or not, sparklers are the highest cause of fireworks injuries for children under five requiring trips to the emergency room. Sparklers can easily burn skin or ignite clothes since they heat up to 1000 degrees F.
And, surprising to many, bystanders at home displays are not safe from injury. Data from the United States Eye Injury Registry shows that bystanders are injured by fireworks one-half of the time.
“Be safe and protect your eyes this 4th of July,” said Dr. Driscoll. “Go to professional displays and enjoy the spectacle in the sky.”
Professional Fireworks Programs in Northeast Tarrant County
Lake Grapevine
July 4th at 9:30pm
Southlake Town Center
July 3rd at 9:30
Bedford Boys Ranch Park
July 4th at Dusk
###
Therapeutic Optometrist Dr. Rich Driscoll has been serving the eye care needs of Colleyville, Texas since 1995. His Colleyville office is located at 6114 Colleyville Blvd. Total Eye Care’s Keller office is located at 1834 Keller Parkway. More information can be found on The Eye Doc Blog or at totaleyecare.com
CONTACT: DR. RICH DRISCOLL, TOTAL EYE CARE, 817.656.5222, www.totaleyecare.com & Press@ totaleyecare.NET
American Optometric Association doctors of optometry are highly qualified, trained doctors, on the frontline of eye health and vision care, who examine, diagnose, treat, and manage diseases and disorders of the eye. In addition to providing eye and vision care, optometrists play a major role in an individual's overall health and well-being by appropriately detecting and diagnosing chronic and systemic diseases. Doctors of optometry have the skills and training to provide more than two-thirds of all fundamental eye care in the United States. The American Optometric Association represents more than 33,000 doctors of optometry, optometry students and paraoptometric assistants and technicians in nearly 6,500 communities across the country. For more information, visit www.aoa.org.
###