Deepavali brings its share of mishaps in Bangalore

Little did he know that watching others burst crackers could cost him his vision. Meet eight-year-old Akul Bhatnagar, a resident of RT Nagar, the latest victim of an accident on Deepavali. A firecracker hit Akul’s eyes on Wednesday night, leaving him with a globe rupture on one of them.

Akul was immediately rushed to Narayana Nethralaya, Rajajinagar, and was scheduled for a surgery on Thursday.

“Globe rupture is a serious injury and is going to affect his vision. However, his post-operative course is unpredictable right now. He is likely to get discharged within a day, but will have to come back regularly for follow-ups and dressing,” said Dr Anand Vinekar, consultant, ophthalmologist, Narayana Nethralaya.

Another seven-year-old girl, a resident of Sarjapur, again an onlooker, had a similar injury and has been scheduled for a surgery at Narayana Nethralaya, Health City.

That apart, a 36-year-old man got injured while bursting crackers and was rushed to Narayana Nethralaya on Friday morning.

“He lit a bomb but when it didn’t burst at the first attempt. He tried to light it the second time. The bomb burst, injuring his eyes and other parts of the body. The man fell unconscious and was taken in for a CT scan. He will undergo surgery on Friday. However, we suspect he may have a total loss of vision in one of his
eyes,” said Dr Bhujang Shetty, chairman, Narayana Nethralaya.
The hospital has registered 32 cases till now.

Samprithi Eye Hospital has treated four cases till now, and Rangalakshmi Netralaya received two cases.

“The awareness among people has gone up and now. They take adequate precautions before bursting crackers,” said Dr Arun Samprithi, from Samprithi Eye Hospital at Sheshadripuram. 

“However, it is not just about awareness. Many a time, the quality of crackers also matters. On Wednesday, we had the case of a 35-year old man, who with adequate precautions, was trying to light a flowerpot but it burst in his face. Luckily there was no major damage to his eyes,” said Dr Samprithi.