Pop The Champagne, But Not In Your Eye

As you get ready for New Year's Eve, here's some advice that will keep the emergency room from interfering with the celebration.

Many New Year's Eve parties include champagne, but did you realize you're more likely to die from popping a champagne cork than by being bitten by a poisonous spider!

Okay truthfully I couldn't find any actual statistics to back up that last statement, even though it is said often, and most people who have difficulties with their champagne cork don't die.  However, many do end up with long term damage to their eyesight. 

Thankfully the American Academy of Ophthalmology provides these tips so you can safely and properly open your champagne bottle:

Make sure sparkling wine is chilled to at least 45 degrees Fahrenheit before opening. The cork of a warm bottle is more likely to pop unexpectedly.

Don’t shake the bottle. Shaking increases your chances of eye injury.

To open the bottle safely, hold down the cork with the palm of your hand while removing the wire hood. Point the bottle at a 45-degree angle away from yourself and from any bystanders.

Place a towel over the entire top of the bottle and grasp the cork.

Keep the bottle at a 45-degree angle as you slowly and firmly twist the bottle while holding the cork to break the seal. Continue to hold the cork while twisting the bottle. Continue until the cork is almost out of the neck. Counter the force of the cork using slight downward pressure just as the cork breaks free from the bottle.

Never use a corkscrew to open a bottle of champagne or sparkling wine.

And the American Academy of Ophthalmology has an educational video you can watch here.  It's just like the AAO to provide something for those "visual" learners...