BANGALORE: The number of cases in which people suffered eye injuries while bursting crackers shot up on Friday. Eighty cases were reported in city eye hospitals, with three people losing vision in one eye.
Doctors said the number of cases was low in the first two days of the Diwali festival as people could not burst crackers due to the rain. However, with rain receding, Friday saw an increase in cracker use and a proportional increase in injuries, they said. Bystanders too bore the brunt of the injuries, they added.
Minto Eye Hospital received 20 cases, of which, the injuries to three people were a matter of concern, said doctors. Shivamani (9) from Kolar injured his right eye when he went to watch a rocket placed in a glass bottle being lit. “The cracker exploded and a piece of glass entered his eye. We extracted a one-centimetre-long glass piece,” said Dr Shasidhar, an associate professor at Minto Eye Hospital.
In another case, Girish (16), a tenth standard student, suffered grievous injuries to his left eye after he went out to see Diwali celebrations. On Friday evening, Akash (10) from Mysore was rushed to Minto Hospital with a similar injury but his vision could not be restored, said doctors.
In Narayana Nethralaya, 25 cases were reported. And doctors are concerned about the vision of three people. Hospital Director Dr Bhujanga Shetty said the number of cases of major eye injuries at the hospital were low compared to the previous year’s total of 56 cases.
Ophthalmologists expect the number of cases to increase over the weekend.