Diwali should be remembered for lights and family, not for an emergency visit to an eye department. Yet firecracker injuries return every year, and many of them are preventable.
What Indian doctors are seeing
A 2026 multicentre study in the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology followed 67 patients at three tertiary eye centres in Central and Western India during the 2023 and 2024 Diwali periods. Blast injuries were the commonest mechanism, at 80.6% of cases. Importantly, 34.3% of those hurt were bystanders, not the person handling the firecracker. Standing and watching is not automatically safe.
Safety rules for the family
- Adults supervise, always. Never leave children alone with fireworks, including those that seem small.
- Light one at a time, in an open space, using a long agarbatti or sparkler at arm's length. Never lean over a cracker.
- Keep watchers well back. Only one person should light; everyone else stays at a safe distance.
- Never relight a failed cracker. Leave it for a while, then soak it with water from a distance.
- Never hold a cracker in your hand or put one in a tin or bottle, which can turn into shrapnel.
- Wear spectacles or protective eyewear, and take contact lenses out, since smoke and sparks can irritate the eye and heat can be a problem.
- Keep a bucket of water nearby.
If an eye is injured: what to do
- Stay calm and stop the person from touching the eye.
- Cover the eye loosely with a clean shield or paper cup, without any pressure.
- If chemical powder or a substance has splashed in, rinse gently with plenty of clean water.
- Go to an eye doctor or hospital emergency department at once, even if the injury seems small.
What never to do
- Do not rub or press on the eye.
- Do not try to pull out anything stuck in the eye.
- Do not apply ointment, ghee, rose water, or any home remedy or leftover drop.
- Do not wait until morning to see whether it settles.
Why quick treatment matters
Injuries can range from surface burns to corneal damage, bleeding inside the eye, traumatic cataract and retinal damage, and a small-looking injury may hide a serious one. Our OPD hours are limited to evenings and we are closed on Sundays, so if the hospital is closed, please do not wait: go straight to the nearest hospital emergency department with eye services.
Getting checked in Andheri West
Divyajyoti Eye Hospital is at Jyoti Apartment, Ground Floor, opposite the 7 Bungalows Bus Depot, J.P. Road, Andheri (West), Mumbai 400053. The OPD runs Monday to Saturday, 5:00 PM to 8:30 PM, and is closed on Sunday. Call +91-7777018301 or +91-88505 65588, or send an enquiry through our contact page.