Eye injury cases up after summer vacation in Kerala

Kochi: Life mimics art with dangerous results, A hospital specializing in eye care has reported an increase in eye injuries in under 15-yr-old boys.  This was the result of them accidentally shooting the midrib of the palm leaflet (splinter) into the eyes of their friends when they indulged in games with mock bows and arrows. Angamali Little Flower Hospital recently reported half a dozen such cases involving boys under the age of 15 hailing from Thrissur after mid-May. These injuries were apparently sustained under the influence of movies like ‘Bahubali’ and ‘Pulimurugan’ which they had seen during the summer vacation.

They injuries need stitching back either the cornea or eyelid in different cases and in the latest case, leading to a complex surgery involving both the cornea and the lens in a 12-year-old child. The child, Sangameswaran, who is the eldest son of labourer couple Bineesh-Seetha from Karalam and a sixth standard student of Moorkanad St Antony’s School, got injured in his right eye. Kudumbasree workers in Karalam organized a fund raiser and collected the money for the surgery while the hospital also extended concessions. The boy is now recuperating. However, he needs follow-up treatment as well.

“We found the incidents getting reported from Thrissur while there was none of the kind from Ernakulam district where the hospital is situated. We don’t know why it is getting reported from Thrissur alone. Parents reported such games among children using splinters under the influence of movies which have such arrow shooting scenes,” said hospital director Fr Sebastian Kalappurackal. “The surgery on Sangameswaran was challenging as the posterior portion of his eye got infected from the splinter which is very rare. So retaining sight was challenging. However, a team of doctors worked together to remove and refix the lens apart from repairing the cornea after tackling the infection,” said Dr Sanitha Sathyan, pediatric ophthalmologist at LF Hospital.