Deepavali: Firecracker-related eye injuries at Minto Hospital top 2020 figures

The government-run Minto Ophthalmic Hospital has so far treated 24 people for firecracker-related eye injuries this Deepavali.

While most of the eye injury cases reported from October 31 to November 6 are boys damaging their cornea due to firecrackers, a 55-year-old man was brought to the hospital around 10 pm on Saturday, with a very grievous eye injury. “It is by far the most serious eye injury treated by the hospital as far as cracker injuries are concerned,” a doctor said.

The previous Deepavali saw 23 firecracker-related eye injuries. This year’s cases are likely to rise as fireworks continue.

Two children had serious injuries, while the rest had injuries to the corneal surface. Until Saturday morning, all of them were treated as outpatients without hospitalisation.

Also Read | 'Most firecracker eye injuries occur to bystanders': Here’s how to stay safe

Minto hospital director Dr Sujatha Rathod said they expected to see new patients well into Monday as people continue to burst firecrackers. Only five adults are among the injured so far. Among the children with injuries, only one was a girl. Others are boys between ages six and 14. While some were bystanders, some were lighting up firecrackers.

“Despite creating awareness on preventive measures to be taken while bursting crackers, so many children have been injured,” Dr Rathod said. “Two of the injuries are serious and the extent to which their vision could be restored will be known in the coming days.”

She admitted that other people also had problems with their vision, but they turned out to be only corneal surface abrasions and facial burns. “They’ll improve in the coming days,” she assured. “Only two of them — an eight-year-old and a 14-year-old— have the possibility of suffering a vision loss.” The two injured children have compromised internal blood supply in the eye, optic nerve and torn iris, causing structural damage to the eye. Since some of the children rubbed their eyes, they have corneal ulcers since chemicals got deposited on the cornea.

“Sometimes, the optic nerve is also affected, which is when the vision is jeopardised,” Dr Rathod said. “We’ll know the total number of injury cases on Monday. We’ve reserved 100 beds for cracker injuries. All patients (arriving at the hospital so far) are from the city, except one from Kanakapura.”

Although one of the 23 patients was severely injured, Dr Rathod said they insisted on coming for check-up every day and did not get admitted. On asking the families and the children how the injuries happened, the doctor learnt that most of them had their faces directly above the burnt flowerpot, either waiting for it to display fireworks or tried reigniting them.

“Because of the rains, they thought the firecracker has been wet and went to check and picked up the injury,” the hospital head said. “The number of cases we saw before the pandemic is comparatively higher (60), but (since the numbers are lower now) we can’t say people are more aware because they continue to burst crackers — not even the green variety,” Dr Rathod added. “Despite them following Covid-appropriate behaviour, we’re seeing so many cases,” she lamented.

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