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Saturday, Oct 25, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Doctors: be on your guard while bursting crackers

Staff Reporter

‘Most of the severe injuries caused by rockets, bombs, flowerpots’

Bangalore: For four-year-old Santhosh, the festival of lights turned into one of darkness last year. He injured both his eyes when he lit the chemicals taken out from the remains of burnt and malfunctioning firecrackers, resulting in an explosion.

Seven-year-old Tejas was watching his friend fire crackers when one of them burst in front of his eyes causing a serious injury, which later developed into cataract.

Every year, hospitals get several cases of cracker-related injuries because proper care is not taken while bursting them. While the resultant air pollution affects the respiratory tract, the noise pollution can cause hearing loss, turning the festival of lights into a nightmare for many.

According to doctors, 40 per cent of those who suffer such injuries are children below the age of 14, and it is mostly boys in the 6to 12 age group.

Though the number of cases is coming down year after year following public awareness and publicity campaigns promoting a safe Deepavali, doctors said it was advisable to avoid burning crackers totally.

Narayana Nethralaya chairman K. Bhujang Shetty said the number of cases in his hospital had come down from 100 in 2006 to 60 last year. “Half of the injured persons were children aged below 16. Usually, while 38 per cent of injuries involve hands and fingers, 19 per cent are caused to the eyes,” Dr Shetty said.

Medical Superintendent of the State-run Minto Institute of Ophthalmology K.S. Sri Prakash said half of the injuries that were treated every year in the hospital were burns, especially in the face, hand, wrist or arm. “Corneal tears and lacerations are the next most common kind of injuries,” he said.

“As eye injury is the main cause of blindness in children, the Government should regulate bursting of crackers,” Dr. Prakash said.

Paediatric ophthalmologist and squint specialist Arun Samprathi said most of the severe injuries were caused by crackers such as “rockets,” “bombs” and “flowerpots.”

Pointing out that injuries caused by “rockets” to the eyes might result in blindness, Dr Samprathi said retinal injury could lead to an immediate loss of vision as well as bleeding inside the eyes. Cataract and glaucoma could be long-term problems, he said.

All these doctors advised people to take all precautions while bursting crackers. As cracker-related injuries are most commonly associated with “bombs”, “bottle rockets” and sparklers, people should be extra careful while bursting these crackers. Extra staff will be deployed in all eye-care hospitals that will be open round the clock during the festival days.

Nayak’s Hearing Care Clinic has taken up an anti-cracker drive.

“We have sent letters to students of 350 schools asking them to say no to crackers. Noise up to 60 decibels is tolerable and anything beyond that can harm the ear. Even brief exposures to the loud crackers can damage the inner ear and cause permanent hearing loss,” audiologist M.S.J. Nayak said.

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