Firecracker eye injuries hit Bengaluru hospitals, infants among the victims

Deepavali, the festival of lights, has once again sent people to Bengaluru's eye hospitals. Some now face partial or near-total vision loss. The youngest patients are infants just three and five months old.

What happened?

At the State-run Minto Ophthalmic Hospital, 20 patients were treated over the three days until November 9. Twelve had grievous injuries and eight had minor ones. Four were admitted, and two of them need surgery.

Thirteen of the 20 were bystanders, people watching others burst crackers or simply standing nearby. Seven were hurt while bursting crackers themselves. A 12-year-old boy from Doddaballapur suffered a ruptured eyeball after being hit by a cracker someone else lit. Doctors said the extent of any vision loss can only be judged after three to six months.

Bijili crackers (strings of small, loud crackers) caused six injuries. Flower pots, bombs, Lakshmi crackers and rockets were also involved.

What are other hospitals seeing?

Narayana Nethralaya counted 60 patients across four centres between November 6 and 9. Thirty were under 18 and 15 were bystanders. One needed surgery.

Sankara Eye Hospital recorded 26 cases up to November 9, in patients aged from three months to 46 years. One patient suffered a ruptured eyeball and needed the eye removed and an orbital implant fitted.

At Nethradhama Super Speciality Eye Hospital, a nine-year-old boy was hurt when a cracker went off near him in a park. He reached the hospital within 10 to 15 minutes and could initially see only hand movements. Doctors found bleeding inside the eye and raised eye pressure. Surgeon Raksha Jagdishprasad Vaishnav said timely treatment was crucial, as a delay could have caused permanent vision loss. He is now doing much better.

How can you protect your eyes?

Doctors say most of these injuries are preventable. Their advice is simple:

• Never let children handle crackers without an adult, and keep them well away from where crackers are lit.
• Wear protective glasses, ideally shatter-resistant ones. Family members and onlookers need them too.
• Do not hold a lit cracker in your hand or try to relight one that failed.

If an eye is hurt, do not rub it, press on it or try home remedies. See an ophthalmologist (eye specialist) straight away. Quick treatment can limit the damage and improve the chance of saving sight.