Have a blast, but carefully: Docs
There has been an increased incidence of cracker injuries of the eye in the past few years, chairman of hospital
Chennai: Do not make the festival of lights dark by sustaining injuries to eyes while bursting crackers is what city ophthalmologists are advising. Nearly 45 per cent of ocular injuries in children occur at home, of which cracker injuries constitute as high as 10 per cent, says a study by Rajan Eye Care hospital.
Mohan Rajan, chairman & medical director of the hospital says, “There has been an increased incidence of cracker injuries of the eye in the past few years, mainly because of parents’ negligence and failure to follow protocols while bursting crackers.
The injuries referred to us range from minimal injuries like corneal abrasion to major injuries like traumatic cataract, corneal tear, retinal detachment, and rupture globe”, he says. Most cracker injuries occur in children less than 15 years of age (who indulge most in bursting crackers).
Eye injuries in this age group result not only in physical disability, but also affects psychologically leading to personality disorders creating a barrier for future opportunities of success. Says Lata Hariharan, professor and head of the department of ophthalmology, “Most of the cases I get are from the age group of five to 15. This is of great concern since the lives of children get affected badly. Parents need to take responsibility and prevent children from bursting harmful crackers and if they allow it, it should only be under supervision”.
Despite sophisticated surgical techniques available to tackle such serious injuries to the eye, only in a small percentage of such cases vision is restored because of severe damage caused to the eye by crackers.
Cracker injuries could affect the cornea, leading to damaged eyesight. Hence, safety is the watchword to save sight and the most effective treatment for eye injuries is prevention.
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