CORNWALL, Ontario – While beautiful and fun, sparklers can also do some real damage to your eyes according to a Cornwall ophthalmologist.
Sparklers are a type of firework that is marketed for kids and while the pyrotechnic paste that fuels the sparkler only burns for a minute or so, it burns at more than 2000 degrees Celcius, which is hot enough to melt gold.
“Fireworks are a great way to celebrate a holiday but if not handled properly they can cause serious eye damage and even blindness. As an on-call ophthalmologist at Cornwall Hospital, I have treated everything from cuts and bruises to damaged corneas and retinas,” said Dr. Christine Suess of Cornwall.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, an American organization, there are around 10,00 visits to the emergency room every year because of unsafe usage of fireworks. Eye injuries account for 19 percent of that total and sparklers account for 61 percent of all firework injuries involving children.
The Eye Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (EPSO) recommends the following precautions if sparklers are used:
▪ Light one sparkler at a time – three sparklers burning together generate the same heat as a blow torch
▪ Supervise children with sparklers and never give them to anyone under five-years-old
▪ Ensure that everyone handling sparklers is wearing gloves
▪ Hold lit sparklers at arm’s length
▪ Don’t wave sparklers about when close to other people
▪ When you have finished with the sparkler put it in a bucket of cold water
The EPSO also recommends non-toxic glow sticks as an alternative.
