Eye injuries from BB and Paintball rise dramatically

While BB guns and paintball gums are often dismissed as harmless toys, these "non-powder" guns can actually cause serious, life-changing injuries and the cases of these injuries have risen dramatically in recent years. Despite the overall rate of injuries due to BB and paintball guns dropping by almost 50% since 1990, the number of eye injuries has risen by 30% in the same time period.

Researchers point out that even fireworks rank second to the number of eye injuries caused by non-powder firearms. Other non-powder firearms include pellet, and airsoft guns. All of these guns use air pressure, carbon dioxide pressure or a spring-loaded mechanism to fire varying projectiles. 

Currently, there are no federal regulations regarding non-powder firearms and state laws regarding their use vary widely from state-to-state. Researchers analyzed a national database that tracks injuries in children under 18 who are treated in emergency rooms. They found that an average of 13,500 children a year were sent to the ER because of non-powder gun injuries. Fifteen percent of these reported injuries were eye injuries.

Some of the reported eye injuries were severe resulting in partial or total vision loss. Generally, eye injuries do not result in hospitalization but researchers found that 20% of the non-powder eye injuries did result in hospitalizations and also noted that non-powder eye injuries are the leading cause of eye injury hospitalizations in children.

Researchers stress that eye protection is just as necessary with these types of firearms as they are with other types of firearms and proper training and adult supervision can also lessen the incidence of eye injuries occurring.