Officials at the Helsinki University Hospital HYS said Monday that four people were treated for eye injuries resulting from proximity to fireworks. One of the patients was said to have been seriously injured during New Year’s Eve festivities.
Helsinki emergency service officials said they responded to two cases where people had received serious eye injuries from fireworks.
Officials were not able to say whether or not any of the persons treated had been wearing safety glasses when they sustained injuries.
Meanwhile, health workers in Tampere said they had treated one individual for eye damage from fireworks; however the injury was not severe. The Tampere University Central Hospital ophthalmologist speculated that the nature of the injury suggested that the patient had not been wearing safety glasses.
Hospital officials in Oulu and Turku said that they had not treated any patients with fireworks-related eye injuries. This was seen as an unusual situation at both institutions.
"But this is good. The most serious cases usually appear immediately during the night. Some patients may come in the next morning or they may be sent to us from outlying districts," said Turku University Central Hospital healthcare worker Hannele Hirsimäki.
One year ago, health officials reported only a few cases of fireworks-related eye injuries. On New Year’s Eve in 2015, some 29 people had to be taken to hospital for medical treatment for eye injuries.