Transcript HEAT INJURIES - Nationwide Children's Hospital

2014-15 Academic Year
HEAT INJURIES
Stay tuned for a
special section
just on Fireworks.
Heat Injury CAUSES
Heat from sparklers can reach 1800 degrees
Fahrenheit and seriously burn the eye.
That’s hot enough to melt gold!
(More about fireworks later.)
Exposure to high temperatures, splashes of
molten metal or hot sparks will damage eye tissue.
Working in a restaurant or cooking at home?
Be careful around ovens and frying
equipment. Hot oil can splash your eyes!
PREVENTION and PROTECTION
1. Safety spectacles with side guards and face shields
are the primary protectors against heat hazards.
2. They deflect heat away from the eyes.
3. For tasks that require unusual filtering of light, filter
or special purpose lenses may be used to protect
against optical radiation.
4. Frames can be made of metal or plastic.
5. Can be either prescription or non prescription.
COMPLICATIONS
• Excessive heat can damage the
epithelium (outermost layer of the cornea)
which can be irreversible and require
surgery.
• Excessive heat can cause
corneal scarring resulting
in reduced visual acuity
(sharpness).
Labs and Shops
• Specialty lenses may be required in your lab class.
• Industrial protective gear may be used in your shop
class.
• NEVER take chances: ALWAYS follow protocol!
• Save your sight. It only takes a second!
Heat Injuries
Chemical
Preventing
Eye
Injuries
Impact
Blunt Impact
Penetration
Heat
Safety Specs
Sports Glasses
Spec Frames
Safety Specs &/or
Face Shield
Welding
Sun
Laser
Tanning Bed
Optical Radiation
Face Shield
100% UV Sunglasses
Special Purpose
Splash (Cover) Goggles
Special
Purpose
Special Purpose
Fireworks INJURIES
Fireworks Injury CAUSES
Fireworks cause over 2,000 eye injuries resulting in
vision loss yearly.
Fireworks hazards include:
1. errant flight paths of aerial fireworks,
2. fireworks exploding earlier or later than expected,
and
3. hot debris from the fireworks.
BTW: Half the injuries are to BYSTANDERS!
Soooo…don’t even get NEAR fireworks, let alone shoot
them off yourself. (You could lose your hand too!)
Fireworks Injuries
• Contusions (bumps and bruises),
• Lacerations (cuts, rips, and tears),
• Foreign bodies entering
the eye, and
• Burns…
…occurred with equal frequency
in firework related eye injuries.
• 75% of fireworks injuries happen to boys
between ages 13 and 15.
Yes, it actually happened…
• 12-year-old picked up what he thought was a dud, and it exploded in
his face. He will lose one, and may lose both eyes.
• 8-year-old boy required eye surgery suffered permanent vision loss
after being struck in the eye by a bottle rocket.
• SkySox promotions expert lost an eye and was disfigured after a
firecracker exploded before it launched. Legal does not = safe.
• 17-year-old suffered severe lacerations and burns to his right eye
when a fuse burned faster than it should have, exploding on the
ground, hitting him in the face. The damage to his retina was so bad
that doctors were forced to make the decision to remove the eye.
Legal, not safe!
• Other people were lighting bottle rockets and then running away for
their launch. One bottle was knocked over, and it shot a 2-year-old
right in the eye. Doctors couldn’t save her eye even with 4 surgeries.
The fireworks were legal in the state where they were being used.
Ohio law forbids them.
OHIO LAW
• Ohio regulates the use of consumer fireworks and allows ONLY
sparklers, and novelties such as snakes, smoke-related items,
and finger snaps.
• Consumer fireworks NOT allowed to be executed in this state
include shells and mortars, multiple tube devices, Roman
Candles, rockets, firecrackers.
• Legalities? You can also visit the Ohio Bar Association’s website
(see reference links page at the end of this presentation).
• Still, "No one should equate legal with safe," Ohio Fire Marshal
McNamee has said.
• The solution?
PREVENTION & PROTECTION
Avoid personal use of fireworks, including sparklers.
Do try break-and-glow sticks or other alternatives.
Stay far, far away from others who ignore common sense
(and the law) by using firecrackers.
Tell a responsible adult if you see people using fireworks or
sparklers, especially around little ones.
Babysitting or around young cousins? Look out for them!
If you are out of Ohio and legal fireworks are in use, take the
same precautions! Just because they’re legal does NOT
suddenly make them any safer!
COMPLICATIONS
• Excessive heat can damage the
epithelium (outermost layer of the
cornea) which can be irreversible and
require surgery.
• Foreign debris can cause laceration
(ripping) resulting in corneal scarring.
• Excessive heat can cause corneal scarring
causing vision loss.
• Explosive force can cause contusions,
retinal detachment, cataract and blowout fractures.
FIRST AID
• Do NOT RUB the eye! Rubbing may cause more damage.
• Do NOT FLUSH the eye or add medication.
• Lacerations (rips) to any area surrounding the eye or a part of the
eye need immediate medical attention!
• Do NOT attempt to REMOVE a foreign body from the eye.
• Go to the nearest Emergency Room immediately to have a
fireworks eye injury treated!
Celebrate the Fourth…
• …at a thrilling professional display?
• …in the emergency room with a bloody eye?
LIGHT INJURIES
The Light Spectrum
Visible light is a small fraction of the E-M (Electro-Magnetic)
Spectrum. It’s often the parts we CAN’T see that can hurt us!
CAUSES of Light Injuries
UltraViolet light (invisible rays) between 50 to 380
nano-meters -- just beyond the visual range -- has
been found to be detrimental to the eye.
Primary Sources of UV rays are:
The Sun (short mild exposure or long term intense exposure)
Welder’s Flash (short term intense exposure)
Video Display Terminals (long-term mild exposure)
Fluorescent, Xenon, and other Lights (long-term mild exposure)
Tanning Beds High-Intensity Mercury Lamps (short-term intense exposure)
COMPLICATIONS
• Short term exposure to intense concentrations of
ultraviolet light can cause conditions such as pterygia
(a wing-shaped degenerative condition of the conjunctiva
which encroaches on the cornea), snow blindness,
dystrophies and photokeratitis.
• Long term exposure to ultraviolet on the lens and retina
can lead to cataract formation, solar retinitis and macular
degeneration.
• Exposure to a laser light can lead to burns, lesions and
even perforation (that is, it can poke a hole in your eye).
LASERS
Laser light by either direct
or indirect beams can
damage the human eye.
Sometimes inexpensive lasers have
different power than is listed on the
packing materials (especially of they
are manufactured overseas where
regulations are not as sturdy).
So….be extra careful, even around pen
lights that are presumed to be “safe.”
Light Injury PREVENTION
• Primary protection against ultraviolet light is
achieved by using filter lenses that have a maximum
protection of up to 400 nanometers
• Filter lenses must coincide to specific
radiant energy exposure when
performing tasks such as welding.
•Primary protection against laser is
achieved by using filter lenses that
protect against the maximum power
density of the laser being used.
Light Injury PROTECTION
• Ultraviolet filter lenses can be worn as spectacles, goggles, shields,
hoods or sunglasses depending on the purpose.
• Special filter goggles MUST be worn whenever in a tanning bed.
Closing your eyes does NOT work, the rays WILL penetrate eyelids!
• Filter lenses can actually enhance activities.
• Sunglasses come in a variety of shapes, sizes and filtering ability to
protect individuals under any circumstances. They need to be rated
99-100% AVA & UVB protection: check the tag before you buy!
• “See” your eye care professional for guidance in selecting the proper
filter lenses for you -- prescription or non prescription.
FIRST AID
• For complications experienced under short term intense
ultraviolet exposure immediately go to the nearest
Emergency Room or eye care professional.
• To assess complications that arise from long term ultraviolet
exposure go to an eye care professional for a professional
eye examination.
• Immediately go to the nearest Emergency Room or eye care
professional if you are exposed to laser light greater than
0.005 watts per square centimeter (that is, anything stronger
than a pen light).
Light Injuries
Preventing
Eye
Injuries
Impact
Blunt Impact
Penetration
Heat
Safety Specs
Sports Glasses
Spec Frames
Safety Specs
Welding
Sun
Laser
Tanning Bed
Optical Radiation
Face Shield
100% UV Sunglasses
Special Purpose
Special Purpose
Special Purpose
Chemical
Splash (Cover) Goggles