Many suffer eye injuries due to crackers during Diwali in Chennai

Many people suffered serious eye injuries while bursting crackers during Diwali celebrations in Chennai on Sunday, 8 November 2026. Despite the rainy weather on that day, the city's residents celebrated with enthusiasm by bursting crackers. Even though awareness regarding safety had increased, city ophthalmologists have once again emphasised the need for caution and safety measures, as they received dozens of cases of injuries caused by crackers.

According to a report by The Hindu, approximately 50 cases were recorded at the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology and Government Ophthalmic Hospital. A senior official of the hospital stated that about 10 of these patients had to be admitted to the hospital.

According to T.S. Surendran, Chairman of Sankara Nethralaya, 45 cases of cracker-related injuries were seen at the emergency clinic of their main campus during the Diwali weekend. Out of these, surgery was performed to repair the wounds of two patients, while surgery for another two patients has been scheduled for Monday, 9 November.

S. Soundarya, Regional Head of Clinical Services at Dr. Agarwal's Eye Hospital, stated that about 20 patients arrived at their hospital with cracker-related injuries. She provided information about one extremely serious case in which the patient had to undergo surgery. Another patient had lit a cracker that did not burst; when the person went to inspect it closely, it exploded on his face, causing injuries to both eyes. The remaining injuries were mostly minor and were treated medically. Among these cases, there were four children, while the rest were adults, primarily in the age group of 30 to 40 years.

Mohan Rajan, Chairman and Medical Director of Rajan Eye Care, stated that about 15 patients had visited their hospital in the last three days. Out of these, one patient had to undergo surgery, while other patients with minor injuries were treated as outpatients.

In view of these incidents, doctors have advised people to remain cautious. Dr. Soundarya appealed to wear protective eye gear while bursting crackers, maintain proper supervision over children, and most importantly, not to touch or attempt to remove any object if something enters the eye. She emphasised that one should visit a doctor immediately if an eye injury occurs. Dr. Rajan noted that often people standing nearby also get injured, therefore it is very important to maintain a proper distance from the crackers.