Diwali is the festival of lights. While it is a spectacular festival signifying prosperity and joy many times the firecrackers can cause eye injuries. Keep yourself safe by following these tips.

Wash hands and face.
The smoke-emitting firecrackers have some irritants and allergens in them and these can cause severe burning or itching. Washing hands after bursting crackers and especially with soap is a good method to prevent eye irritation. Or one can use glasses or goggles to prevent the smoke from entering the eyes.

If one wears contact lenses be careful as these are heat sensitive. Remove the contact lens while bursting a firecracker, instead, use glasses.

Maintain a safe distance of arm’s length while lighting a firecracker and never bend over the firecracker. Keep a distance of at least five meters while watching.

In case of eye injury with crackers, the first step should be to wash your eyes and face properly. Do not rub or scratch your eyes. If there is bleeding, patch the wounded area and consult the eye doctor immediately.

Avoid highly combustive crackers which reach high temperatures and avoid serious injury.

There are three ways in which a cracker injures the eye – velocity, chemical reaction, and thermal burn.

Always burst crackers in the open space, wear goggles and wash hands with sanitizers. Never take any injury lightly. Keep fireworks away from the face, hair, and clothing. Children should always be supervised while playing with crackers.

Dr. Ramesh Murthy is one of the best pediatric ophthalmologists and best eye specialists in the city of Pune and is available at Axis Eye Clinic which is one of the best eye clinics in Pune.