Every Diwali, around 76 cases of eye injuries reported in Delhi: AIIMS

According to a study conducted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS),  the National Capital witnesses an average of 76 cases of eye injury caused by firecrackers every year. The data was revealed in a study named 'Prevalence of Firecracker Injury and outcomes with the demographic profile of patients visiting the Emergency Department of a Tertiary Care Center of North India.'

The trend on the prevalence of firecracker injuries and its outcomes was studied based on the demographic profile of patients who visited the institute's emergency department after Diwali. The findings revealed that about 87 cases of eye injuries caused by firecrackers came up in 2016. The number slightly dropped to 56 patients in 2017. The number, however, went up to 83 in 2018. The study revealed that negligence (careless lightening, unsupervised children, delay in treatment, etc) on the part of people by not receiving timely treatment was the primary cause behing these injuries.

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78 patients developed injuries caused by firecrackers

The report further went on to show that out of 83 patients who visited the emergency department for eye injuries, 78 suffered injuries due to firecrackers. "Out of these patients, almost 11% were males and 14.45% females. While 30.76% were below the age of 10 and 47.37% of patients were between 10-20 year age group and 3.95% were above 50," it said.

While 72.37% of these cases belong to Delhi, the remaining 26.63% constituted patients who came from other states like Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. The major complication observed was unilateral partial temporary loss of vision (93%) and unilateral permanent complete loss of vision in one (1.32%) patient and a bilateral permanent complete loss of vision in another (1.32%) patient.
Speaking to a news agency about the precautions that could be taken to avoid such injuries, medical superintendent of RP Eye Centre (AIIMS) Dr Shakti Gupta said, "Parents should encourage their children for celebrating a cracker free Diwali by lighting diyas or candles which will not only prevent such injuries but will also keep the environment clean." 

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According to a senior doctor, the incidents of ophthalmic injuries due to firecrackers has not changed significantly over the years as there is a lack of awareness among people. "Since the eye casualty cases have not been improved over the years necessary precautions must be taken like that eye protection glasses should be worn while bursting firecrackers and bystanders should always stand at a safe distance from crackers," he added.

"The cases of facial burn, eye irritation, foreign body, and blindness, were reported and were taken into consideration while studying the trend," Dr Arushee Bhatnagar, who conducted the study under the guidance of Dr Shakti Gupta, was quoted as saying.
The study was conducted based on retrospective data collected from the medical records department of sustained firecracker injuries in the eye during Diwali in the period of the last two years.

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(With inputs from ANI)