BENGALURU: Despite awareness drives about the ill-effects of crackers and need for a safe Diwali, hospitals in the city did report some cases of firecracker-related eye injuries, though less than last year. According to Dr K. Bhujang Shetty, chairman and MD, Narayana Nethralaya, the hospital has so far come across 11 eye injury cases. "Thankfully all of them are minor ones and treated as outpatient. However, half of them are children," Dr Shetty added. The hospital, however, feels that the cases are relatively low compared with last year. "Last year we treated some 70 cases, but this year it is much less, but we are keeping our fingers crossed," he added.
Government-run Minto Eye Hospital has witnessed some five serious eye injury cases. "We have witnessed 4-5 grievous cases until Wednesday involving blood clot in the eye because of firecrackers and all these cases needed to be addressed very soon and evaluated. The hospital is expecting more cases," said Dr Najeeha Feroz Torgal, fellow at Minto Hospital.
Rainbow hospital which had opened a helpline did receive calls of burns and accident, but no eye injury cases. Dr Firoz Ahmad Torgal, Consultant, Emergency Medicine, Columbia Asia Referral Hospital, Yeshwanthpur said they did received one serious eye injury case, which was referred to Narayana Nethralaya. Dr Agarwal's Eye Hospital which has nine centres across the city did not receive any serious eye injury cases.
