Safe Diwali for eyes: Keep away from laser guns, firecrackers

The nature of injuries could vary from mild ones, where a spark lands in the eye and there is an abrasion on the cornea, to severe complications, where practically the whole eye is damaged due to the impact of a firecracker hitting the eye. This is because of thermal injury due to heat as well as the velocity with which the cracker hits the eye. There may be open globe injury with bleeding in the eye, detachment of the retina and accumulation of blood behind the retina. Most of these injuries are complex, requiring multiple surgeries over a period and there is high chance of losing an eye if the injury is severe.

In addition, we are also seeing damage to the retina caused by laser pointers. There are substandard lasers available in the market that children play with and may focus on the eyes of each other. This will not cause any visible injury but will damage the centre of the retina, which is the most crucial part and may result in permanent damage to your eyesight. Since children won’t even complain about it, many such injuries are detected later in life, during a school check-up when parents or teachers notice that the child is unable to see well from one eye. Unfortunately, this is like eclipse retinopathy and is mostly irreversible. I am bringing this up because children frequently use laser toys and pointers during festivals. So, it is the responsibility of parents to educate themselves and protect their children from such harmful toys.

What are the more common injuries and which area of the eye is most affected?

Generally, the person who is burning the cracker is careful and walks away as soon as they are lit. The problem happens with bystanders, who are gazing into the sky to watch fireworks. Often remnants and particles fall back on the ground after they burn out with great speed and may hurt the eyes of the person. These are the most dangerous of all injuries that damage all the structures, including the cornea, lens and retina. A damaged eye may be lost despite huge efforts and the best of care.

How serious can these injuries be?

These injuries can be serious, making it difficult to save the eyes. Since most of these injuries involve children, it can impact their future, including career choices.

What are the various precautions one can take to avoid injuries?

The first and foremost is to wear protective glasses while outdoors on Diwali night if you wish to either burn or watch firecrackers. The type of firecrackers should be selected wisely and there should be parental supervision. Most injuries are caused by carelessness, overcrowding and excitement. Parents must collectively ensure responsible behaviour as one act of carelessness could deprive children of a normal life.

What is the protective gear you recommend?

Protective eyeglasses and a visor to cover your eyes and face are important. Fortunately, they have now become widely available courtesy of Covid. I think schools are doing a great job in promoting education about these injuries and
children themselves are very careful.

Still, we need to increase awareness. It is equally important that you also protect those around you. Many times, parents will buy protective glasses for their children, but other children may be unprotected while bursting crackers.

What are the immediate steps one should take in case of trauma to the eye, corneal injury, or ocular distress due to burns or shrapnel fragments?

One should be careful about not rubbing the eyes or using eye drops. It is advisable not to wash with water as the patient may have an open globe injury as it might be more damaging. The safest option is to gently cover the eye with a sterile eye pad (if you don’t have any, just wear glasses), not to touch it and consult the nearest eye specialist. Our team at PGI has dedicated doctors working around the clock during Diwali week. The delay in initiating repair further delay in getting the patient referred to a higher centre whenever required. This can often leading the loss of
one’s eye.