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The American Academy Ophthalmology Says Don't Disconnect Your Air Bags

4 August 1998

The American Academy Ophthalmology Says Don't Disconnect Your Air Bags

    SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 3 -- Despite General Motors' recent
recall of nearly one million cars with faulty airbags, the American Academy of
Ophthalmology encourages the public to keep air bags connected.  While air
bags may cause eye injuries in low speed impacts, the number of lives saved by
air bags during high-speed impacts outweighs the risk of eye injury.
    According to Dante Pieramici, M.D., member of the American Academy of
Ophthalmology and one of seventeen physician medical experts asked by the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to examine the medical
indications for automobile airbag disconnection, "There is no true ocular
indication for disconnecting the airbag.  The airbag is more likely to prevent
than cause serious ocular injury.  Overall, the life-saving benefits of
airbags far outweigh the risk of ocular injury."
    While eyeglasses and prior eye surgery are potential risk factors for
airbag injuries, impact with the steering wheel or dashboard poses a greater
threat than contact with the airbag.  Even individuals that are monocular, or
"one-eyed," are encouraged to keep the airbag connected.
    Air bags, designed to protect a 170-pound man during a 30 mph collision,
deploy at 200 mph in a split second.  While this design has saved more than
2,500 lives since 1987, it has also caused ocular injuries ranging from
bruises and hyphemas to ruptures and blindness.  However, the vast majority of
eye injuries that do occur are minor.
    The mission of the American Academy of Ophthalmology is to achieve
accessible, appropriate and affordable eye care for the public by serving the
educational and professional needs of the ophthalmologist.