You probably didn’t think about this, but you’re not usually wearing sunglasses when you light fireworks at night. There’s a lot of risk to your eyes to lighting and igniting fireworks that close to your face. Sometimes you get so used to playing with fireworks, you forget that you can get burned. Review the rules so you can protect your kids, your pets, your neighbors, you, and your eyes this 4th of July.

1. Keep an arm’s length away when lighting. Not only do you want to keep an arm’s length away from the firework you’re lighting, but also, ensure that people with you back away and give space.

2. Do not allow young children to play with fireworks. Sparklers – a firework often held by youngsters – burn at more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Keep an emergency bucket of water CLOSE to put out fires. Sometimes, the time it takes to turn the hose on is enough time for fire to spread or wound disastrously. Having a bucket of water ready to go to put out fires fast is an easy precaution to take and can make all the difference in severity of a burn.

4. Keep fireworks in a closed box and use one at a time. We know it’s exciting and sometimes waiting one firework at a time gets boring. A momentum starts building where multiple people want to light. Full stop! One at a time is the best policy. Even the arena shows practice this until the very end.

5. Keep bonfires and cigarette flames well away from fireworks. Summer bonfires are fun any other summer day, but there’s no place for that much fire within range on the 4th of July. Keep the extra fire sources: cigarettes, bonfires AWAY  not only from the firework being lit, but the dormant fireworks still in boxes.

6. Wear Eye Protection. Shop our shields and eye protection here to keep those exposed vulnerable eyes safe from fireworks this season. Our opticians can show you which frames carry the right level of protection for your needs, including those bearing the ANSI-Z87.1 safety rating. Shop Glasses

ways to protect eyes from fireworks