Cracker injuries: 30-year-old to lose vision in left eye, nine others to lose partial vision

Nearly 70 cases of cracker-related injuries have been reported in various hospitals during Deepavali festivities starting Wednesday. Among these, a 30-year-old male who was rushed to a private eye hospital in the city from Anantapur is not likely to regain vision in one eye. Besides, nine others under treatment at the State-run Minto Ophthalmic Hospital have suffered partial vision loss, a doctor said.

The 30-year-old patient from Anantapur, who was bursting a Laxmi bomb along with his children, suffered a globe rupture in the left eye on Thursday. He was rushed to Narayana Nethralaya in Rajajinagar and has undergone surgery. Hospital chairman Rohit Shetty said he is not likely to regain vision.

With over 10 bystanders, who are under treatment at Minto hospital, having suffered grievous injuries, including epithelial defects and corneal tears, doctors said they are likely to suffer a significant reduction in vision in one eye. Overall, Minto Hospital has seen as many as 21 cases till 7 pm on Friday. Doctors said half of these are bystanders, and around 40% are children.  

Minto Hospital reported its first cracker injury case on October 28. An 18-year-old male from Kammanahalli in Bengaluru was hit by a ‘Bijli’ cracker. Although his vision has been affected, doctors said they are hopeful of seeing an improvement in his eyesight after treatment. On October 30, a five-year-old boy sustained a grievous injury while bursting crackers in Kanakapura. He was brought to the hospital with a full-thickness corneal tear, iris prolapse and total hyphema in his right eye.

Doctors said while two have undergone major surgeries at the hospital so far, seven others have undergone minor procedures. The remaining have been put on conservative treatment.

Bystanders

While Narayana Nethralaya has received a total of 23 cases this year, Sankara Eye Hospital and Agarwal’s Eye Hospital have received 15 and nine cases, respectively. Of the 15 in Sankara, 11 are paediatric cases. While five have suffered grievous injuries, four among them have undergone surgeries. As many as 13 are bystanders, doctors said, adding that a clear picture of whether their vision will be affected will be known during their follow-up visits.

Dr. Shetty said 16 of the 23 cases seen at Narayana Nethralaya are children aged below 10. Nearly 60% of the cases are bystanders. As many as two of the 16 children who suffered injuries have bleeding in the retina. Dr. Shetty said the rest have mild injuries, like burns on the eyelid or corneal abrasions (which will not result in any permanent damage to the eye). “It is unfortunate that every year most of the cases we are seeing are bystanders. The government should not permit the bursting of crackers in small lanes and bylanes. This will help in protecting bystanders from getting injured,” he said.

Published - November 01, 2024 09:52 pm IST