Jaipur: Diwali celebrations in Jaipur were marred by a sharp rise in firecracker-related injuries, with SMS Hospital treating 171 victims between the afternoon of Nov 8 and the morning of Nov 10.Hospital data showed that eye injuries accounted for the largest share of cases, with 94 patients reporting damage caused by sparks, cracker fragments, or chemical particles. Another 77 patients suffered burns. Of the 171 patients, 20 required admission, while 151 were treated in the emergency outpatient department and discharged.Between 2 pm on Nov 8 and 8 am on Nov 9, SMS Hospital handled 112 cases, of whom 13 were admitted. The caseload included 51 patients with burn injuries, of whom two were admitted and 49 were discharged after emergency care. Eye injuries were reported in 61 patients, with 11 admitted and 50 discharged.From 9 am on Nov 9 to 8 am on Nov 10, another 59 patients were treated, including seven who required admission. These included 26 burn cases, with two admissions, and 33 eye injury cases, of whom five were admitted.At the hospital’s emergency wing, doctors, nurses, and ophthalmology teams worked through the night as patients arrived with charred skin, painful eyes, redness, blurred vision and injuries caused by exploding crackers.A senior SMS Hospital official said cracker sparks, fragments, and chemicals could severely damage sensitive eye tissue, causing pain, burns, and, in serious cases, permanent loss of vision. He said many cases involved children lighting fireworks without adult supervision, standing too close to crackers or picking up those that had failed to burst.“We have admitted them as they needed surgery for repairing the damage done to their eyes,” the official said.Doctors said eye injuries should be treated as medical emergencies. They advised people not to rub an injured eye or wash it without medical guidance, warning that such actions could worsen internal damage. Burn victims were assessed, cleaned and dressed before being discharged or admitted, depending on the severity of their injuries.
