CHANDIGARH, 01.11.24-In anticipation of Diwali-related injuries, PGIMER's Advanced Eye Centre activated special emergency protocols, ensuring immediate treatment for firecracker injury cases from 30th October through 2nd November 2024. The Advanced Eye Centre, with round-the-clock staffing of doctors, nurses, and allied personnel, managed 21 cases of eye injuries resulting from firecracker incidents.

Two separate teams were formed to ensure that patients were attended to immediately: one team comprising of retina, cornea, glaucoma and oculoplasty subspecialities was posted to attend to patients with injuries as soon as they reached the emergency of the Advanced Eye Centre . Patients requiring surgery were immediately transferred to the surgical team who ensured that immediate care is provided to them.

A total of 21 patients came to the Advanced Eye Centre during this period with alleged history of fire crackers injuries in the last 48 hours. There were 16 males and 5 females.
12 of the 21 patients (57%) were children ≤14 years of age , the youngest being a 3 years old female child .
There were 8 patients from tricity ( all from Chandigarh). The remaining 13 patients were from the neighbouring states of Punjab (4), Haryana (4), Himachal Pradesh (1), UP (1) , Rajasthan (1).
12 patients were observers/bystanders and rest 9 were bursting crackers themselves.
Type of firecracker: Tilli bomb, putli bomb, sky shot, bicchu bomb, murga chap, anar, aloo bomb, phuljhari
Out of 21 total patients, 6 patients needed surgery and all have been operated upon.

Additionally, PGIMER’s Trauma Centre handled 5 burn cases related to Diwali celebrations. Among these, an 18-month-old boy suffered 30% burns on his right side, and a 16-year-old girl sustained 50-55% burns, predominantly on her upper body. Both have been stabilized and are now in the Burn ICU for continued management, while the other three cases are under care at the ATC OPD and being managed accordingly for the injuries suffered.

Over the last three years, PGIMER's Advanced Eye Centre has managed Diwali-related injuries with meticulous planning and emergency protocols, showcasing consistent responsiveness to festival related eye trauma, which is given in the table enclosed .

The decline in numbers, paired with rapid intervention by vh specialized teams at PGIMER, reflects ongoing improvements in public awareness and swift medical readiness.