Diwali firecracker injury leaves 7-year-old girl with serious retinal damage in Pune

A firecracker injury that appeared minor at the time has left a sevenyearold girl with serious retinal damage highlighting the longterm consequences of ignoring eye injuries during DiwaliThe girl sustained a blunt injury to her left eye while bursting firecrackers during Diwali last year Since she experienced no pain or visible signs of injury her parents did not seek immediate medical attentionHowever she gradually began experiencing vision loss in the affected eye When her parents brought her to the hospital this week doctors diagnosed her with a large macular hole a serious condition affecting the central part of the retinaRetinal surgeryDr Kelkar explained that a detailed retinal examination revealed a large macular hole for which the child will require specialised retinal surgery known as vitrectomy The macula is the central part of the retina responsible for sharp vision reading recognising faces and seeing fine detailsA strong impact or shock wave from a firecracker can damage this delicate tissue even when there are no obvious external injuries He added that surgery would aim to close the hole and improve vision but complete restoration of normal vision cannot be guaranteedDaily casesDr Sameer Datar president of the Poona Ophthalmological Society and corneal surgeon and consultant at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital told midday that although consolidated data from all eye hospitals is not available doctors regularly encounter such cases during the festival ldquoMost of the patients reporting firecrackerrelated eye injuries are in the 1520 age group In nearly 50 per cent of the cases medical intervention is requiredrdquo he saidChemical damageExplaining the nature of these injuries Dr Datar said firecrackers can cause both chemical and thermal damage ldquoFirecrackerrelated injuries may occur due to the alkaline chemicals and the heat released during an explosion Depending on the nature of exposure patients can suffer chemical burns as well as thermal injuriesrdquo he saidlsquoMost of the patients reporting firecrackerrelated eye injuries are in the 1520 age grouprsquoDr Sameer Datar president Poona Ophthalmological Society Deenanath Mangeshkar HospitalTimely treatmentgtgt Risk of delayed diagnosis Children may not immediately recognise or communicate vision loss in one eye if the other functions normally which can delay treatmentgtgt Immediate ophthalmologist evaluation Parents should seek an immediate eye exam after any firecracker injury even if there is no pain or visible damagegtgt Diagnostic testing Detailed retinal exams and optical coherence tomography OCT help identify internal damagegtgt Treatment options While some traumatic macular holes close spontaneously under observation others require surgery making timely diagnosis essentialDos and donrsquotsgtgt Seek immediate medical attention after any firecrackerrelated eye injury regardless of its apparent severitygtgt Protect the injured eye with a rigid eye shield without applying pressuregtgt Do not rub or press the eye or attempt to remove embedded particlesgtgt Avoid applying home remedies ointments or eye drops without medical advicegtgt Ensure that the child undergoes a complete eye examination including retinal assessment where necessarygtgt Check vision in each eye separately as the unaffected eye may mask vision loss in the injured oneDoctor SpeakDr Aditya Kelkar retina surgeon at the National Institute of Ophthalmology NIO PunelsquoFirecrackerrelated eye injuries generally fall into two categories mdash blunt trauma and superficial injuries In this childrsquos case the impact caused blunt trauma to the left eye resulting in damage to the retina The absence of pain or visible injury does not necessarily mean that the eye is unharmed Such injuries can have longterm consequences including significant vision lossrsquo