The dark side of popping champagne

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The “pop” of a Champagne cork is synonymous with the festive season, sports triumphs and celebrations of all kinds. But researchers at the University of Cambridge warn that there’s a dark side to uncorking the bubbly libation.

Writing in the Christmas edition of The British Medical Journal, the researchers say corks can travel up to 80 kilometres an hour and cause serious eye injuries including blindness, retinal detachment and lens dislocation.

“The pressure in a 750 ml bottle of Champagne or sparkling wine is about three times that of a standard car tire,” they wrote. “A cork can travel from bottle to eye in less than 0.05 seconds, making the blinking reflex ineffective.”

The paper was co-authored by Ethan Waisberg, a Canadian medical doctor who is also a researcher in Cambridge’s Department of Ophthalmology. Dr. Waisberg normally studies the effects of space travel on astronauts’ vision, but he became concerned about corks after watching a friend struggle to open a Champagne bottle to celebrate their graduation from medical school last May.

How to open a Champagne bottle safely

3

1

2

45º

1

To reduce pressure, chill the bottle and avoid shaking it before opening.

2

Face the bottle away from others and yourself at a 45-degree angle.

3

Remove the wire cage carefully while pressing down on the cork.

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6

5

4

Place a towel over the top of the bottle and hold the cork firmly.

5

Gently twist the bottle until the cork loosens.

6

Counteract the upward moving force of the cork by pressing down on it.

THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: HOWCAST.COM;

BMJ 2023;383:p2520

How to open a Champagne bottle safely

3

1

2

45º

1

To reduce pressure, chill the bottle and avoid shaking it before opening.

2

Face the bottle away from others and yourself at a 45-degree angle.

3

Remove the wire cage carefully while pressing down on the cork.

4

6

5

4

Place a towel over the top of the bottle and hold the cork firmly.

5

Gently twist the bottle until the cork loosens.

6

Counteract the upward moving force of the cork by pressing down on it.

THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: HOWCAST.COM;

BMJ 2023;383:p2520

How to open a Champagne bottle safely

3

4

6

5

1

2

45º

To reduce pressure, chill the bottle and avoid shaking it before opening.

Place a towel over the top of the bottle and hold the cork firmly.

1

4

Face the bottle away from others and yourself at a 45-degree angle.

Gently twist the bottle until the cork loosens.

2

5

Remove the wire cage carefully while pressing down on the cork.

Counteract the upward moving force of the cork by pressing down on it.

3

6

THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: HOWCAST.COM; BMJ 2023;383:p2520

“I saw him opening the Champagne cork and it was pretty precarious. His eye was above the cork,” Dr. Waisberg recalled in an interview on Thursday. “Even though he didn’t get injured at the time, I just thought, wow, this is a serious safety risk, there’s a lot of pressure in that bottle. This can be very dangerous compared to what people expect.”

He began researching the hazards of uncorking bottles and discovered that while there are no clear statistics about how often injuries occur, there have been a number of high-profile incidents.

In 2019, Theo Campbell, a contestant on Britain’s reality television show Love Island, lost the sight in his right eye after he was hit by a Champagne cork while on holiday in Spain. “Two eye surgeries later after a really unfortunate accident, I’ve lost all vision in my right eye as it got split in half,” Mr. Campbell wrote on Instagram at the time.

The BMJ paper cited the case of cyclist Biniam Girmay, who opened a bottle of prosecco on the winners’ podium to celebrate a stage win at the 2022 Giro d’Italia. “The cork hit his eye causing an anterior chamber hemorrhage, and he had to withdraw from the next stage of the competition.”

Tennis star Novak Djokovic also came close to injuring his eye when he popped a Champagne bottle after defeating Roger Federer to win the Italian Open in 2015. Mr. Djokovic held the bottle directly below his face, and when the cork suddenly shot out, it grazed his nose. “I am very, very fortunate to still have my eye,” Mr. Djokovic said at the time. “We had an argument with Mr. Champagne and he certainly threw a punch I will not forget.”

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While almost all fizzy drinks with corks can be dangerous, Champagne corks were responsible for 20 per cent of the eye injuries related to bottle tops in the United States and 71 per cent in Hungary, according to a retrospective review published in 2005. “Although many people’s sight improved, the study found that, in 26 per cent of cases related to pressurized drinks, people remained legally blind. The Champagne bottle cork continues to be the biggest contributor to eye injuries caused by bottle tops,” the BMJ article said.

The researchers offered a number of tips for partygoers including chilling bottles to reduce the pressure inside and placing a towel over the cork to prevent it from flying off. They also called for warning labels on packaging and they urged Champagne makers to consider switching to screw caps.

Dr. Waisberg, who is planning to become an eye surgeon, said he is much more cautious with Champagne bottles than he used to be, and he has stopped popping off corks with his thumbs. “Now that I know the risks, I take it more seriously.”

When asked whether his friends found his cautious approach a bit of a downer at parties, Dr. Waisberg replied, “They thought so initially. But then when I told them more about the research, they agreed with it.”

And he offered this advice for the holidays: “Let us toast to an excellent new year, keep the bubbly in our glass, and the sparkle in our eyes.”