Party-goers have been warned of the "high-velocity missile" that a champagne cork can become, and how the potential eye hazzard can be overlooked until too late.
Sydney-based ophthalmologist Dr Patrick Versace said the Christmas - New Year period usually produced a spike in the number of people who suffered an eye injury when hit by a "wayward cork".
"The danger posed by a cork isn't really something people think about but they need to be aware and use caution when uncorking pressured bottles - a champagne cork can easily become a high velocity missile," Dr Versace said.
"One year I assisted a young lady on her wedding day ... she had inadvertently been struck in the eye by a cork during the reception.
"While her sight was saved, the bleeding behind her eye took some days to stop and she spent her honeymoon in hospital."
Dr Versace, from the Vision Eye Institute at Bondi Junction, said a cork leaving a champagne bottle can reach speeds up to 65km/h.
The pressure in a champagne bottle is approximately 6.21 bars of pressure - or ninety pounds per square inch.
"A champagne cork can travel 60cm in less than 0.05 seconds, and as the blink reflex takes about 0.1 second it is the cornea of the eye which usually receives the full impact," Dr Versace said.
"Every festive season ophthalmologists across the globe see an increase in the number of eye injuries caused by corks.
"Sometimes it's the eye of the person opening the bottle but often its an innocent bystander who is inadvertently struck by a wayward cork."
He said the severity of the injury depended on the distance of the eye from the bottle, however damage to the iris and tearing of the retina were common, he said.
"That all too often results in a trip to the emergency room for a check-up," Dr Versace said.
"In a severe case it can mean surgeons working to save the person's sight."
TIPS FOR SAFELY OPENING A CHAMPAGNE BOTTLE:
1. Keep the bottle cold at all times - the colder the liquid the less pressure in the bottle. Warm bottles of champagne are more likely to blow corks unexpectedly.
2. Be prepared for an unexpected explosion of the cork when the foil covering and wire hood are removed.
3. Drape a towel over the top of the bottle. Even if the cork does pop out it will be caught in the towel.
4. Grasp the cork with the towel and slowly and firmly twist it to break the seal, keeping the bottle at a 45-degree angle.
5. Never point the top of a champagne bottle towards any object you do not want to hit. Many people foolishly look down onto the top of the bottle as they open it and put their eyes at unnecessary risk.
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