Because of their unpredictability and erratic flight pattern, bottle rockets are the major source of fireworks-related eye injuries. Data from the United States Eye Injury Registry shows that fireworks injure bystanders more often than the operators, and the majority of those injured are young males. USEIR statistics also show that 69 percent of eye injuries caused by fireworks occur at home.

If consumer fireworks are legal in your state, follow these safety rules:

1)	Never use bottle rockets.
2)	Both operators and spectators should wear safety glasses or safety goggles.
3)	Never put fireworks in glass containers, tin cans or clay pots, since these objects can shatter.
4)	Never allow young children to play with fireworks.
5)	Provide close adult supervision.
6)	Sparklers, often thought of as the 'safe" firework and given to small children, burn at 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit (hot enough to melt gold) and can cause third-degree burns. Use only with great caution.
7)	Never use illegal or homemade fireworks.
8)	Read and follow manufacturer's label instructions. Fireworks without these labels should not be used.
9)	Never try to relight malfunctioning fireworks.
10)	Always have a fire extinguisher or large container of water on hand to douse fireworks that misfire.

The Sight & Hearing Association strongly suggests that the safest way to celebrate Independence Day with fireworks is to attend a professionally sponsored public fireworks display.

In case of an eye injury:

1)	Do not touch, rub or press the injured eye.
2)	Do not remove the foreign object from the injured eye.
3)	Loosely cover the injured eye with a paper or plastic cup to prevent additional injury.
4)	Seek immediate care from an ophthalmologist or hospital emergency room.

Check out the following Web site from the National Council on Fireworks Safety for more information: http://www.fireworksafety.com

* The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) monitors a sample of hospital rooms and produces annual injury estimates associated with a number of consumer products based upon the injuries that are recorded on these selected hospitals. Using this data, CPSC estimates that 8,800 people were treated for fireworks-related injuries in 2002.