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June is a time for many interesting health observances, from Rip Current Awareness Week to Fireworks Safety Month, Lightning Safety Awareness Week and Cataract Awareness Month. Read on for some fun facts about how you can avoid an injury from lightning or fireworks, save someone from a rip current or learn the warning signs of cataract.

Rip Current Awareness Week

Strong, narrow horizontal currents moving away from shore, rip currents are responsible for drowning more than 100 people each year. These currents can reach speeds of 8 feet per second, faster than an Olympic swimmer can sprint. About 80 percent of the 60,000 surf beach rescues a year result from rip currents. Be sure to check with on-duty lifeguards concerning all the surf zone hazards for the day you are out in the ocean.

Occurring at any beach with breaking waves, rip currents do not pull swimmers under the water; they carry people away from shores. Rip currents are difficult to identify. Look for differences in the water color, water motion, incoming wave shape or breaking point relative to surrounding conditions.

If you are caught in a rip current, remain calm and don’t fight the current. Imagine the current as a treadmill you cannot turn off but that you need to step to the side of. Swim across the current in a direction following the shoreline. If that is not possible, try to float or tread water until the strength of the current dies down and you can swim toward the shore. Draw attention to yourself by waving your arms and yelling for help. If you see someone in danger of drowning, get help from lifeguard or call 9-1-1. Yell instructions to escape and throw something that floats, such as a ball or lifejacket, but do not help them in the water as many people have drowned trying to save others.

For more information, visit www.ripcurrents.noaa.gov.

Cataract Awareness Month

More than 24 million Americans over the age of 40 have cataract, making it the leading cause of blindness around the world. A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye that blocks or alters the passage of light into the eye. Vision loss from cataract can be reversed. Commonly performed, cataract surgery boasts a success rate of 95 percent.

Cataract usually does not cause pain, redness or tears. Watch for blurred vision, double vision, ghost images or the sense of a “film” over the eyes, which can be signs of cataract. Also watch for lights appearing to dim for reading or being dazzled by strong light. If you are changing your eyeglasses prescription frequently and the change is not helping your vision, it may be you have cataract. Sometimes you can spot a cataract, which appears as a milky or yellowish spot in the pupil.

If you suspect you have a cataract, consult a doctor promptly. Dilated eye exams can help identify cataract early on, plus prevent other eye diseases. For more information on cataract, contact the national nonprofit Prevent Blindness America at preventblindness.org/cataract or via phone at (800) 331-2020.

Fireworks Safety Month

There is no such thing as a safe way for average consumers to use fireworks. Always enjoy fireworks only at professional displays. Fireworks are responsible for thousands of visits to the emergency room each year, resulting in 9,600 injuries. The most common time for fireworks injuries is around Fourth of July, when on average 6,000 injuries occur.

Children are particularly susceptible. Never let children play with fireworks. Sparklets burn at 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit and bottle rockets can stray off course or release shrapnel when exploding. Severe burns or eye injuries may result. Even professional displays may pose a hazard: Attend only authorized public displays put on by licensed operators. To prevent trauma, Prevent Blindness America advocates a complete ban on the importation, sale and use of fireworks, except those used in authorized public displays.

If an accident happens, minimize damage to the eye by not rubbing it, not rinsing it and not applying pressure to it. Do not allow contact with the eye, especially the child’s hand. Try holding or taping a foam cup to the eye. Rush the child to the emergency room without stopping for medicine and do not apply ointment. For more information, visit Prevent Blindness America.

Lightning Safety Awareness Week

No place outside is safe when a thunderstorm is near. Lightning kills more than 50 Americans each year, plus causes hundreds to suffer debilitating, lifelong injuries. The majority of these deaths and injuries are easy to prevent. Lightning Safety Awareness Week is June 23 to 29, aiming to educate the public about the risks associated with lightning, including both indoor and outdoor safety.

To be safe from lightning, plan your outdoor activities ahead of time. Watch the local weather, such as checking your local National Weather Service office at www.nws.noaa.gov. Be aware by bringing along a radio or Internet Weather Alert system so you can be updated regularly. It is most common to be struck by lightning just before or just after a storm. Don’t wait too long to seek shelter; leave immediately and don’t go back outdoors until you have not heard thunder for 30 minutes.

The safest place to be is inside a large, fully enclosed building. A second choice would be inside an enclosed metal car. If a house or vehicle is not possible, avoid the most hazardous places: no open areas, elevated places and especially no trees. Lightening deaths are caused by cardiac arrest. Call 9-1-1 and try to administer CPR. Learn more at www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov.

Scleroderma Awareness Month

Meaning “hard skin,” scleroderma is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body. About 300,000 Americans suffer from scleroderma. Often the skin thickens and tightens, sometimes causing severe damage to internal organs such as the lungs, heart and kidneys. As these organs become increasingly scarred, organ failure and death is common. While some medications and treatments can help, there is no cure for the disease.

Scleroderma is more common for women: roughly three to four times more women will have the disease. While it affects every age group, it is most frequently found in those between the ages of 25 and 55.

Scleroderma Awareness Month is a time for awareness and fundraising activities. It is also a time to educate the public about rare hidden diseases in general. Approximately 30 million individuals in the United States suffer from a rare disease. Although there are nearly 7,000 rare diseases, less than 12 percent of Americans can name a rare disease. For more information about scleroderma, visit www.scleroderma.org or call (800) 722-HOPE (4673).

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