Eye injuries during Deepavali higher this year, say ophthalmologists

Children receive treatment for firecracker-related eye injuries at Minto Hospital. DH PHOTO/B K JANARDHAN

Yeshwantpur resident Jayasheela, 38, was watching her family fire away crackers on Monday. Little did she expect that sparks would hit her eyes and cause bleeding.

Since her family could not afford a surgery suggested by a private hospital where she consulted first, she is undergoing treatment at government-run Minto Eye Hospital, said her son Kiran Kumar.

“There are clots still in her eyes, and her vision is blurred. So, the doctor asked us to take an X-ray, and we are awaiting the results,” Kumar said.

The city’s major eye hospitals reported a higher turnout of cracker injury cases post-Deepavali this time compared to previous years. Three of them have handled over 100 cases so far.

While Narayana Nethralaya had a whopping 50 cases as of Wednesday, 13 of which are grievous — one requires surgery and could end up with a certain degree of vision loss and six of them may lose sight permanently and may require multiple surgeries, said Dr Bhujang Shetty, chairman and MD, Narayana Nethralaya.

Dr Shetty added that cases of serious injuries seem to be resulting from rockets, bombs, and flowerpots that burst suddenly.

Over half of the patients treated at Narayana Nethralaya were children aged below 15 and many of them were bystanders. The injuries seen here range from conjunctival burns to globe rupture.

“Firework malfunctions — tip-overs, errant flight paths, and early ignitions — account for an estimated one-fourth of the injuries. The so-called “safe” fireworks like sparklers and bottle rockets accounted for one-sixth of the injuries. The root cause of another one-sixth of injuries was that the victim was too close,” said a press release from Narayana Nethralaya.

While Minto Ophthalmic Hospital had 31 cases as of Thursday evening, Shankara Eye Hospital had 23 cases. “Of the 31 patients, 11 have grievous injuries and five have moderate levels of injuries,” said Dr Sujatha Rathod, director of Minto. Seventeen of the victims were bystanders, while only 14 had burst crackers themselves.

While some patients have recovered fully, uncertainty remains in other cases.

Harsha M L, 14, had a surgery on Thursday morning at Minto Hospital, but there is no clarity about full recovery yet, his father Lakshmipathi told DH.

In the case of 10-year-old Pranathi L, three days of treatment has led to a near full recovery, but follow-up is needed. She got injured as she couldn’t run far enough from the bomb she burst.

Disturbing trend

A disturbing trend across hospitals was that around half of those affected were bystanders or those passing by. “In Bengaluru, many people burst crackers on the road. While they themselves will turn away from the crackers, those passing by would be completely unprepared and sustain eye injuries,” said Dr Bhujang Shetty, chairman and MD, Narayana Nethralaya.