Answers to Fireworks Injury Quiz

1. A piece of glass or metal from a bottle rocket strikes your child's eye. There is no bleeding and the pain goes away quickly.

C. Get the child to the emergency room.

An impact injury - caused by something slamming into the eye - can lead to damage that your child cannot immediately sense and you cannot see. Vision loss, even blindness, could occur within hours or days. Only an eye doctor's examination of the interior eye can reveal the result of an impact injury.

2. After a fireworks incident, the child is in terrible pain and wants to rub the eye. What should you do?

B. Do not let the child rub the eye.

This is a time when parents need to stay calm and clearheaded. Rubbing the eye may increase bleeding or worsen the injury.

3. The child's eye has been hit by an exploding bottle rocket, a sparkler or another type of fireworks device. The first thing to do is:

A. Tape or hold a protective shield against the bones surrounding the eye area.

A foam cup or the bottom of a juice carton are just two suggestions. Protecting the eye from further contact with any item - including the child's hand - is the goal.

4. What is the best over-the-counter pain reliever to get for the child on the way to the hospital?

D. Don't stop for medication.

Over-the-counter pain relievers will not do much to alleviate pain and aspirin (which should never be given to children) or ibuprofen can thin the blood, increasing bleeding. Get the child to an emergency room immediately; this is more important than stopping for a pain reliever.

5.Which is the wrong thing to do for a child’s injured eye?

A. Apply ointment.

Ointment makes the area around the eye slippery and harder for the doctor to examine and it may not be sterile.

Source: Prevent Blindness America