Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Fairfield County Fireworks Eye Safety

For people celebrating the July 4th holiday throughout Fairfield County, Connecticut we need to heighten awareness about the use of fireworks, eye safety and avoiding eye injury. “Eye injuries are the second most frequent injury we see from emergency room each July 4th weekend,” said Leslie Doctor, M.D. a Connecticut Ophthalmologist in Fairfield County with offices in Norwalk, Westport & Wilton, CT. “The best way to enjoy fireworks and reduce the risk of eye injury is to leave the setting up of fireworks and the setting off of fireworks to professionals who can orchestrate their safe use and prevention of eye injury,” emphasized Dr. Doctor.  

The best defense against kids suffering severe eye injuries and burns is to not let kids play with any fireworks. Do not purchase, use or store fireworks of any type. Protect yourself, your family and your friends by avoiding fireworks. Attend only authorized public fireworks displays conducted by licensed operators, but be aware that even professional displays can be dangerous. However, if an eye accident does occur, there are a few things you should know:
  • Do not rub the eye.
  • Do not attempt to rinse out the eye. This can be even more damaging than rubbing.
  • Do not apply pressure to the eye itself-but protecting the eye from further contact with any item, including the person’s hand.
  • Do not stop for medicine! Over-the-counter pain relievers will not do much to relieve pain. Aspirin (should never be given to children) and ibuprofen can thin the blood, increasing bleeding. Take the person to the emergency room at once
  • Do not apply ointments or drops. They may not be sterile and may make the area around the eye slippery and harder for the doctor to examine. 

Once you are seen in the emergency room please feel free to have them call Doctor & Associates at 203-227-4113 as we always have an eye doctor “on call” to provide consultation and continued care for you.

If you or someone you know has questions about fireworks eye safety and eye injuries please feel free to call Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113, visit Doctor & Associates in Fairfield County or facebook.com/doctorandassociates to schedule an appointment.

Doctor & Associates is a leading Fairfield County Connecticut eye care practice providing eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, diagnosis and management of diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses and optical services. For those patients in need of eye surgery, as a founding member of the Wilton Surgery Center, Doctor & Associates eye surgeons are able to provide eye surgery in a convenient, close to home and cost effective ambulatory surgery center.

Whatever your eye care, eye health or vision correction needs might be-Doctor & Associates can serve as a Connecticut ophthalmic consultant and will be conveniently located for patients from Fairfield County and southern Connecticut including Danbury, Stamford, Greenwich, Westport, Weston, Wilton, New Canaan, Norwalk, Fairfield, Bridgeport, Cannondale, Aspetuck, Redding, Trumbull, Shelton, Monroe, Darien, Glenbrook and Ridgefield Connecticut.