Date:31/10/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/10/31/stories/2005103117470300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Taking care of your child this Deepavali

Divya Ramamurthi

Children bursting crackers unsupervised is a major hazard, say ophthalmologists

A RANGE OF FIRECRACKERS: Sale of firecrackers is picking up in Bangalore. — Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

Bangalore: Behind every bright and colourful Deepavali lurks some danger. One such hazard is the risk of eye injury, especially to children who burst crackers unsupervised.

Ophthalmologists in the city say that immediately after Deepavali the number of consultations to their clinics go up by around 10 per cent. Bhujang Shetty, Medical Director of Narayana Nethralaya, says that last year, the hospital saw over 40 children between the ages of 10 to 16 who had suffered eye injuries during the festival of lights.

K.M. Suresh of Vidya eye hospital says that he saw over 20 children last Deepavali who had injured their eyes. "Most of them had sustained severe vision threatening eye injuries," he said.

Dr. Suresh adds that often children sustain these eye injuries when they hold sparklers close to the flame and when they approach the firecrackers, especially the flowerpot, to see whether it has been lit properly. "Children keep trying to relight flowerpots, which is dangerous. The explosives in them can rip off the coasts of the eye ball and rupture it," he says.

This does not suggest that children should not play with firecrackers during Deepavali. The ophthalmologists are suggesting that it should be done with adult supervision and after taking some precautions.