Life
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Keeping the eye out of danger
|
A study of eye injuries reveals that most could have been prevented if some basic precautions had been adopted.
|
EVEN A seemingly harmless act such as watching a house painter at work could prove dangerous if proper precautions are not taken and a drop splashes into the eye.
The painter himself is exposed to severe risk if he does not wear protective glasses. The government and private hospitals in the city get a regular flow of patients with eye-injuries caused by negligence. There have been instances of school students getting injured by the pointed end of a pencil: a young girl Divya of Kodambakkam had her cornea damaged after an accident involving the sharp end of the compass. There have also been cases of children being injured while playing `bow and arrow'.
For most circumstances, the eye has a natural defence mechanism and dust particles are invariably blocked. While those driving two-wheelers are advised to wear helmets with visors, the injuries caused by dust particles are not very serious when compared to injuries for those working in mechanic sheds, quarries or carpentry units. As splinter metal pieces or stones move at a great velocity (equivalent to the speed of an airplane) and penetrate the eye causing severe damage.
Last week, eye surgeons removed a lead piece that had pierced the cornea, the anterior and posterior parts of the lens of a 12-year-old boy. The victim, Udaya Suriyan working in a mechanic shed was injured in the right eye by a battery lead piece, while trying to fix a clamp. The eye surgeons had to do some sophisticated surgery (Phacoemulsification) to remove the lead piece, which had settled on the retina. The cataractous lens was removed and an intraocular lens was implanted. The foreign body was removed through another surgery.
During the past six months ten boys have been treated for various eye injuries at a hospital in Kodambakkam alone. Enquiries reveal that on an average at least five children mostly casual workers are treated for eye injuries caused because of negligence.
Take this case. A young boy lost his eyesight after washing his face with bleaching powder, which had been stored in a soapbox. The serious mistake made by the boy's mother who chose an empty soapbox to store the bleaching powder led to the child losing his sight.
An ophthalmic surgeon Mohan Rajan, medical director of Rajan Eye Care Hospital, explains that bleaching powder is nothing but alkali and it penetrates the external layers of the eyeball and results in the total opacity of the cornea.
A study of eye injuries reveals that most could have been prevented if some basic precautions had been adopted.
Dr. Rajan says he conducts at least five free surgeries for poor patients everyday at his hospital and the eye injuries caused to working children only reflect the poor economic condition and the large prevalence of child labour.
These victims do not get any monetary help from the employers as they are casual labourers. At least the authorities should ensure that the employees provide goggles for protecting the eye.
``It is common to find children with no protective gear at welding shops. The ultraviolet rays are bound to affect the eye,'' he says.
As with the major eye hospitals in the city, he says he receives many cases in the 24-hour emergency ward at his institution.
By Shivakumar S.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Life
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
|
