Love really can be blind!

Keep love in the air this Valentine’s Day, not flying champagne corks warns national sight charity, the Eyecare Trust.

Every year scores of people across the UK sustain serious eye injuries – and, in extreme cases, experience permanent sight loss – after being hit by a cork as it explodes from a bottle of fizz.

A cork can ‘pop’ at over 60 miles an hour* so there’s often little opportunity to move or even close your eye if you suddenly see one heading in your direction.

Iain Anderson Chairman of the Eyecare Trust explains: “The size and shape of a cork fits neatly into an eye socket so it can inflict extensive damage to the internal and external structures of the eye.”

Iain continues: “Typical injuries caused by flying corks can range from bloodshot and black eyes to detached retinas and intraocular haemorrhages. It can even lead to the onset of glaucoma as a result of changes to the pressure inside the eye.”

So, always think before you pop and follow the Trust’s tips to make sure your love really doesn’t leave you blind!

Chill out. Make sure you chill your fizz – a warm bottle is more likely to pop unexpectedly.

Don’t shake it baby! Shaking the bottle increases the pressure inside and can result in an even more explosive reaction when you crack it open.

Don’t point and shoot. Never point the bottle towards yourself or others.  You’re just asking for trouble!

Go under cover.  Cover the bottle with a cloth and then hold it at a 45-degree angle before gently twisting it as you hold the cork.

Use protection. Keep the protective wire over the cork until you’re ready to pour to prevent it popping open unexpectedly!

In the event that a cork does hit you in the eye you should consult your optometrist immediately to minimise any potential damage to your vision.

*Calculated by Friedrich Balck of Clausethal Technical University in northwest Germany.