Date:29/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/29/stories/2008102959350400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Deepavali brings its share of eye injuries

Staff Reporter

— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Melvin being treated at Minto Hospital in Bangalore on Tuesday.

Bangalore: Along with the festive cheer that accompanies Deepavali every year, incidents of cracker-related injuries take a little sparkle out of the festival of lights. This year, nearly 65 people have been injured.

For 19-year-old Harsha Vardhan, this Deepavali was not a very cheerful one — he injured both his eyes on Monday when he lit the chemicals taken out from the remains of burnt and malfunctioning firecrackers, which exploded causing injury to his eyes.

He has been admitted at the Minto Ophthalmic Hospital, which received 17 cases of cracker-related injuries. Most of the injured are boys aged less than 10 years. “He collected powder from the crackers that did not go off when lit and put it in a small iron pipe and tried lighting it. But the pipe exploded and injured him,” Hospital Resident Medical Officer R.L. Chandraprabha said.

Eight-year-old Melvin, who has also been admitted to Minto Hospital for injuries to his face and right eye, said he was leaning over a half-burnt flower pot when it went off in his face. “He had just lit the flower pot but it did not burn, so he tried to burn it again when it suddenly burst,” his relative said. The other injured include five women, most of whom were overseeing their children while they were lighting the crackers. According to K.S. Sriprakash, Medical Superintendent of the hospital, except for the two admitted cases, none treated at the hospital were of a serious nature and the patients were not likely to suffer vision loss.

“Most of the burns are superficial and some children have suffered corneal burns. But because of prompt medical management, there does not seem to be any permanent damage,” Dr. Sriprakash said.

He added that the cases of cracker-related injuries had reduced in the last couple of years.

Narayana Nethralaya has received 15 cases of cracker-related injuries. Of these, 12-year-old Emaneul Samson has been admitted as there was severe bleeding in his left eye. “We have kept him under observation and he might not need any surgery if the bleeding subsides,” Hospital Chairman K. Bhujanga Shetty said.

Samprathi Eye Hospital and Squint Centre got three patients who hurt their eyes while lighting firecrackers. All the three were treated as outpatients, Paediatric ophthalmologist and squint specialist Arun Samprathi said.

Nethradhama Eye Hospital received 12 cases of cracker-related eye injuries. But most of them are mild injuries like burns on the eyelid or corneal abrasions, which will not result in any permanent damage to the eyes, doctors at the hospital said.

Shekhar Nethralaya received 18 cases of cracker-related injuries. While three have been admitted, others have been treated as outpatients.

Though all doctors said that the number of cases have come down this year, they observed that the main problem is that children light crackers without adult supervision.