When Laggere resident N.Y. Lokesh ventured out of his house on the bandh day on Saturday to get a haircut done for his six-year-old son Lohith, he never imagined the heartbreak that was in store for him and the child.
As the barber completed his job, a mob passed by the salon. Panicking, the barber pulled the shutters down in haste. However, the scissors in his hand inadvertently pierced Lohith’s right eye.
Underestimating the damage to the eye, Mr. Lokesh, a daily wage employee at the lorry stand near Kanteerava Studio, took his son home. “He kept rubbing his eye all through and we thought it was a minor thing. Only after bathing him, did we realise his eyeball was torn. We desperately tried to get an autorickshaw to take him to hospital. But only by evening, could we manage to take him to Narayana Nethralaya by when the damage was done,” said Mr. Lokesh.
Hospital chairperson and managing director K. Bhujang Shetty said the child’s right cornea was completely ripped apart by the scissors. “We are treating him free of cost. We hope the boy will at least get back his vision partially if his retina has not been damaged. While one surgery has been conducted to repair his cornea, the boy needs two more surgeries to get back his vision. One will be done next month and the last thereafter,” Dr. Shetty added.
A worried Mr. Lokesh now regrets taking the boy out on the day of the bandh. “I am a daily wager and cannot afford expensive treatment for my son. I only hope he gets his vision back,” he said.
