Center for Vision Loss Urges Kids to Have a Blast Safely on the Fourth of July

By Agency Team |
Image of a crowd watching a fireworks show

Thousands of Americans are injured on and around the fourth of July, and the Center for Vision Loss offers a simple way to keep kids safe – to look but don’t touch.

Almost half of people injured on or around Independence Day are children and teenagers, and approximately one in six injuries are eye-related, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

In an Eyes On Healthy Sights learning video released today, the Center for Vision Loss urges kids to stay away from touching fireworks or sparklers of any kind.



The American Academy of Ophthalmology offers several fireworks safety tips for adults.

  • Stay at least 500 feet away from fireworks and allow trained professionals to light them.
  • Call your community’s police or fire department to dispose of any unexploded fireworks that you find. Do not touch or try to light them.
  • Wear protective eye wear at all times.
  • If you suffer an injury, especially to your eyes, seek help immediately.
  • Do not rub or rinse your eye or apply pressure to them.
  • Do not use ointments on your eyes or take blood-thinning pain medications such as aspirin or ibuprofen.

The Center for Vision Loss empowers people with visual impairments to seize their independence and advances healthy eyesight. With operations in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley and Monroe County, it combines a service tradition motivated by Helen Keller’s advocacy in 1928 with contemporary practices and state-of-the-art technologies. Its services for people with visual impairments promote the accomplishment of daily tasks, increased access to medical services and food supplies, enhanced personal wellness, and extended self-sufficiency. Its free vision screenings for children stimulate success in school and its community education programs advocate for eye health and safety. All agency services are provided at little or no cost, and more than 80% of its clients with vision loss are from low-income households.

The Center for Vision Loss is an independent member of the Pennsylvania Association for the Blind (PAB) and is affiliated with the VisionServe Alliance, a network of nearly 120 North American agencies that serve people with impaired sight.