lots of fire work and playing with fire are essential part of Diwali. Diwali is a festival of happiness, lights, crackers and prosperity. It is an unique festival in which fireworks, crackers, lights and brightness hold very important role.

Unfortunately, ignorance and carelessness leads to lots of injuries to eyes. Children are more prone to eye injury.

Emergency Manager talked with leading Ophthalmologists , disaster management experts and other emergency management experts.

We have identified 15 ways to protect your eyes from crackers and fire hazard.

Following are these 15 ways to protect eyes during Diwali:-

(1) Keep small children away from crackers.They are unaware of the harms cracker can cause.

(2) Children should be accompanied by elders while burning crackers.

While looking at fire crackers they should stay at safe distance.

(3) Do not rub your eyes without properly washing your hands.

Once you have held the cracker in your hands, the explosive chemical might stick to the hand and it might go inside the eye.

The particles of the explosive chemicals will keep rubbing the transparent corneas and it might get damaged.

(4) If something goes inside the eyes just don't rub your eyes and consult your doctor. It is better to wash your eyes with plenty of clean water. Preference should be given to running tap water.

It will wash out the explosive chemical from eyes

(6) Washing the eye with plenty of clean water by pulling the lower eyelid and also everting the upper eyelid, if you can, will remove the debris from there.

(7) Even after washing the eyes with water, you can still feel something is inside the eyes. It indicates that the particle might have stuck on the cornea( the transparent covering over the black part of the eye) or on the conjunctiva( the transparent tissue over the white part of the eye).Carefully examine the eyes in sufficient light.

(8) If you see something stuck in the eye , especially over the black part then do not try to remove it.

(9) In case above condition, put an antibiotic eye ointment inside the eye,( after checking its expiry date ( eg. Ciprofloxacin/ moxifloxacin) and lightly patch the eye with a sterile cotton bandage patch.

Apply an adhesive tape over the patch so that it stays in place.

(10)In case of presence of foreign objects in eyes, you can also put a lubricating eyedrop if you have , although it is not very necessary.

It will give you soothing relief from the eyes irritation you are having.

(11) Visit an ophthalmologist immediately in case of foreign objects in eyes.

The doctor will see your eyes under a special microscope called the Slit lamp.

Looking through it, he can carefully remove the foreign objects with his specialised instruments or sometimes with a small needle tip under local anaesthesia.

(12) The above measures also applies if a cracker has burst near your face and the white part of the eye has become red in colour.

(13) If you have any problem in your vision ( problem in seeing) then your cornea or the structures inside your eyes have been injured.

In such a case, follow the above measures and visit an ophthalmologist as early as possible.

(14) You can also take an analgesic orally to reduce the pain.

(15) It is better to wear eyes protecting glasses. These are specially designed glasses having large front eye piece and sufficient protecting band on sides.

Normally, these are made of plastic as it does not have chances of producing fragments on breakage.

Eye injuries can be serious leaving you visually handicapped.

These can be prevented by taking safety measures while burning crackers and handling fire.

Always remember, advice of doctor is of prime importance. If any serious injury occurs, visiting the eye surgeon as early as possible is must.

If something has gone wrong, you will repent for whole life.

Celebrate Diwali festival with fun and safety.

Emergency Manager magazine appeals to you for precautions and safety.

Protecting your eyes from fireworks and crackers is key to happy celebration of Diwali. 

Emergency Manager magazine appeals to you for precautions.