Over 125 cases of cracker-related injuries have been reported in various hospitals during the Deepavali festivities this year starting Sunday. Two persons under treatment at the State-run Minto Ophthalmic Hospital and one at Narayana Nethralaya are not likely to regain vision in one eye, and nine others have suffered partial vision loss, doctors said.
Nearly 20 more cases of cracker injuries have been reported in various hospitals in the city since Tuesday evening. Of these while 11 are in Narayana Nethralaya, four cases have been seen at the State-run Minto Ophthalmic hospital and two in Sankara Eye Hospital.
Minto hospital director G. Nagaraju said a total of 32 cases were seen at the hospital since Sunday of which 15 have suffered grievous injuries. “Of the 15, six have been operated. While two are not likely to regain vision, five will lose partial vision. Remaining, we will have to wait and watch how they recover,“ he said.
Four cases have been reported since Tuesday evening of which one person - a 19-year-old female bystander has suffered a grievous injury in KP Agrahara, Bengaluru South. She has been admitted for further treatment, he said.
Rohit Shetty, chairman of Narayana Nethralaya, said of the total 51 cases seen at the hospital, one person - a 23-year-old resident of Chandapura near Electronics City is not likely to regain vision as he has suffered a globe rupture.
Among the injured, 22 are children aged between three and nine. Besides, 23 individuals were bystanders and 28 patients sustained injuries while actively bursting crackers, he said.
“All patients received emergency medical attention, and one case required urgent surgical intervention—a globe exploration with scleral tear repair at Narayana Nethralaya, Bommasandra. We also had a patient from Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. A 40-year-old woman bystander from Ahobilam in Andhra Pradesh sustained an injury while traveling in an autorickshaw. A firecracker unexpectedly entered the vehicle, hitting her eye. Seeking immediate medical attention, she received comprehensive care at our hospital,” he said.
“Despite disseminating precautions to not leave children unsupervised while bursting crackers, nearly 44% of those who have been injured are children. Besides, over 45% are bystanders. This is very unfortunate,” he said.
At Sankara Eye Hospital, a total of 42 cases have been seen this festive season. On Wednesday, an eight-year-old boy from Marathahalli has reported with a grievous injury. He was also a bystander. He is under observation and doctors are monitoring him for the next few days.
