Bystanders Among The Injured As Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital Records 62 Diwali Cases

Hyderabad: In the crowded hall of Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital, a 15-year-old boy and a 43-year-old man waited for check-ups on Tuesday, their eyes red and watering, handkerchiefs pressed to their faces.

“I don’t burst crackers and save that money for my studies,” said the Class 9 student, struggling to keep his swollen eye open. “On Monday night, I stepped outside my house and something sharp fell into my eye. We rushed to a private hospital, but by morning, it worsened. From ENT Koti, we were referred to here,” he told Deccan Chronicle.

Mohd. Yousuf Khan, 43, a key maker, said, “I was driving in Narayanguda when a cracker spark hit my eye. I used drops at night, but the pain was unbearable, so I came here.”

From Monday night’s Diwali celebrations till 2 pm on Tuesday, Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital recorded 62 eye-injury cases. “Of the 54 injuries reported until 8 am, 23 had vision defects, four were admitted, and two underwent surgery — one of them a bystander. We need to wait a week to assess their vision recovery,” said Dr. Modini Pandharpurkar, Superintendent of the hospital.

“The number will definitely surpass last year’s 54 injuries, and we expect to record more eye injuries by Wednesday morning,” she added.

Most injuries involved the eyelid, cornea, or retina. Doctors noted that many victims were bystanders, not firecracker users. Private hospitals reported that 60-65 per cent of their Diwali-related patients were also bystanders — many suffering from respiratory distress due to smoke exposure.

Dr Babu S. Madarkar, clinical director of KIMS Cuddles, said, “Most cases were mild — noisy breathing and chest tightness caused by pollution. Children who burst crackers without supervision had first- to third-degree burns on their hands, faces, and eyes.”

Tertiary hospitals like Gandhi Hospital reported no major incidents, except for a few outpatients with minor skin burns. Osmania General Hospital, however, treated nine patients between Monday and Tuesday, of whom six were outpatients. Three were admitted, including a child and a woman.

The woman, aged between 45 and 50, suffered 50 per cent burns after her clothes caught fire from an oil lamp and is currently undergoing treatment. A boy sustained facial and eye burns. “Both require surgery depending on the extent of infection,” said Dr. Rakesh Sahay, Superintendent, Osmania General Hospital.

Most of the incidents this year were caused by Mirchi patakas and other high-intensity firecrackers.