Valley eye doctors warn about eye injuries during July 4th

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Local health officials are warning about some of the injuries that come with the Fourth of July.

According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission's recent annual report, fireworks caused 10,000 injuries - 15 percent were eye injuries.

Health facilities in the Valley see several patients come through with firework-related injuries.

The Eye Medical Center of Fresno remains busy on, and following, July Fourth.

Dr. John Kinney said most eye injuries are caused by some of the most popular types of fireworks.

"Sparklers, with their cinders coming off at 2,000 degrees. They're in the hands often of little children," Dr. Kinney said. "The other one -- bottle rockets, and bottle rockets can explode, hit your face and put an eye out."

If you or someone you know gets injured like this, Dr. Kinney said not to flush the eye out with water. Seek medical attention immediately.

"The American Academy of Ophthalmology says put a plastic cup over it and go to the ER or get your eye doc on the 24/7 call," he explained.

Eye injuries should be taken seriously, as they can lead to losing your sight or even losing your eye.

"You get a central scar on a cornea, you aren't going to see pretty much. It's pretty doggone scary stuff," said Dr. Kinney.

If you plan to celebrate with fireworks, he recommends always supervising children, having a bucket of water nearby and wearing safety glasses.

For those who don't want to take the risk, Dr. Kinney said community firework displays are a safe option.