The worst eye injury I have seen was when I was a student . A rocket had penetrated an eleven year old boys eye through and through causing complete rupture of the eye ball making him blind for lifeDeepawali the festival of lights is meant to add colours and light to our world and it’s a sad truth that several people are pushed into a permanent world of darkness due to fire cracker injuries The effects of injury range from superficial burns to deep penetrating injuries and sometimes blunt trauma when a cracker burst on stone hits the eye like a propellant.Most individuals susceptible for such injuries are children or senior citizens with slow reflexes . Many times these are innocent bystanders caught unaware by loud and powerful crackers being burst in busy places .
A sincere appeal as an ophthalmologist for one and all this Diwali is to follow some rules as stated below
- Avoid crackers as much as you can even in the interest of environment and if you are a pet lover
- If you must burst , pick the safest ones which are harmless , and cause least damage and pollution
- Burst in open grounds and not heavily populated places
- Children should always be accompanied by adults
- Wear footwear and fully covered clothes . Safety glasses if possible
- Dispose used crackers responsibly
- Keep a bucket of water around
- Be considerate of people moving around you
- In case of injury , do not rub the area or use any medicine. But splash water and rush to the nearest hospital
