Bengaluru: With burns and eye injuries often reported during Diwali week, many hospitals in the city have opened special wards and added extra beds to their existing wards to cater to patients as the festival approaches. Emergency rooms too are open round- the -clock.
Going by doctors, bursting of crackers account for around 40 per cent of all eye injuries during Diwali. “Despite rising awareness, eye injuries have increased over the past few years. More and more children are being injured by crackers like bhoo chakra and flowerpots,” says Dr. Sujatha Rathore, director of Minto Eye Hospital.
While most of the injuries are minor, four or five are serious every year, some even leading to a total loss of vision, according to Dr. K. Bhujang Shetty, chairman and managing Director, Narayana Nethralaya. “ Unfortunately in many of these cases, the victims are either innocent passersby or children watching the crackers being burst,” he reveals.
The eye injuries usually range from lid laceration, tear corneal abrasion, corneal perforation, vitreous haemorhage, retinal detachment and globe perforation which can cause permanent blindness, says Dr. Ravi, regional head and medical services director, Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospitals, adding, “Eyes are the second most commonly affected part of the body in cracker injury.”
Emphasising the need for immediate medical attention in case of injury, Dr. Shetty says those hurt must wash their eyes in clean water and rush to the hospital even if the injury is minor, because its important to ensure that chemicals that have entered the eye do not corrode its various layers, worsening the condition. “In case of a severe injury, pad up and rush to the hospital immediately as faster the medical attention more are the chances of preventing further damage and vision loss,” he explains.
Meanwhile, as part of its CSR initiative, Narayana Nethralaya has attempted to educate children about the potential hazards of bursting crackers and the various safety and precautionary measures they can take, through awareness camps in over a 100 schools in Bengaluru.
