Rithesh's family will never forget this Diwali. Not because it was a joyous celebration, but because it turned into a nightmare. Their only son is now battling at a Delhi Hospital to save his eyesight after suffering injuries from firecrackers.
He is not alone. Hospitals across Delhi and several other cities reported a surge in firecracker-related injuries during Diwali, with children and young adults among the worst affected. While many suffered burns to their hands, faces and other parts of the body, several sustained serious eye injuries that could leave them with permanent visual impairment.
The scale of the injuries has brought renewed attention to a multicentre Indian study published in the October 2026 issue of the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology. It found that nearly two-thirds of patients with firecracker-related eye injuries were children, while more than one-third were bystanders who were not handling the explosives themselves. Nearly one-fourth required surgery.
The findings assume particular significance in the wake of this year's hospital reports, which show that the danger extends well beyond those lighting firecrackers.
In Delhi, around 499 people were reported to have suffered firecracker, burn and other Diwali-related injuries across five hospitals, according to figures compiled from individual hospitals. Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital reported 172 patients, followed by AIIMS Delhi with 152, Safdarjung Hospital with 142, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital with 18 firecracker-related cases and Aakash Healthcare with 15. These figures cover different categories of injuries and reporting periods.
At the Dr Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences at AIIMS, Delhi around 110 patients with eye injuries were treated on November 8 and 9, most of them involving firecracker-related trauma. While 72 had injuries that were not sight-threatening and could be managed conservatively, 18 suffered corneal perforations or lacerations requiring surgery. Several others were also advised to undergo surgical intervention.
The AIIMS Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Burns Surgery separately reported 42 Diwali-related burn cases by 11 am on November 9. Of these, 37 were caused by firecrackers. Eleven patients had major burns, including four who required intensive care. An eight-year-old child with burns over 45% of the body surface was among the critically injured. Eighteen of the 42 patients were below 18 years.
Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi recorded 142 Diwali-related burn cases over November 7 and 8, including 135 patients treated in the outpatient department and seven admitted with major burns. Of the outpatient cases, 129 were caused by firecrackers and six by diyas. Thirty-five children with firecracker injuries were treated at the hospital.
At RML Hospital in the national capital, 41 patients reported burn injuries during the festive period, of whom 18 had injuries linked to firecrackers. Eight patients required hospitalisation. The injuries ranged from burns affecting 1-2% of the body surface to severe burns involving as much as 65%, according to Dr Sameek Bhattacharya, professor and head of the Burns and Plastic Surgery Department.
The eye injury cases at Aakash Healthcare, Dwarka in Delhi, highlighted another serious concern: high-velocity particles entering the eye during cracker explosions. The hospital received 15 patients with firecracker-related injuries, including 11 with eye injuries and four with burns involving other parts of the body. Nine of the 11 eye injury patients had foreign particles embedded in their eyes, reportedly caused by shot patakas. The injuries ranged from corneal abrasions and embedded foreign bodies to serious ocular trauma, including open-globe injuries.
Dr Prashaant Chaudhry, senior consultant and head of Ophthalmology and Refractive Surgery at Aakash Healthcare, said the high proportion of patients with embedded foreign particles was concerning.
“These particles can cause corneal abrasions, damage to the ocular surface and, in some cases, deeper injuries that may threaten vision. What is particularly concerning is that such injuries can occur within seconds and may have lasting consequences,” he said.
He advised people not to rub or press an injured eye or attempt to remove an embedded particle themselves. “Immediate evaluation by an ophthalmologist is essential to prevent further damage and maximise the chances of preserving vision,” he added.
The pattern was also visible at Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, which reported 172 patients with firecracker, burn and other Diwali-related injuries. Thirty-four patients had eye injuries and were treated by the ophthalmology department, while most of the remaining patients suffered skin burns.
The problem was not confined to Delhi. In Haryana’s Faridabad, Amrita Hospital saw 5-6 eye injury cases due to firecrackers during the festive season, including some serious injuries.
In Jaipur, Sawai Man Singh Hospital treated 112 patients with firecracker-related injuries on Diwali night. Of these, 51 suffered burns and 61 had eye injuries. Thirteen patients required hospitalisation, including two with burns and 11 with eye injuries.
Hyderabad reported at least 191 burn and eye injury cases across hospitals. Six people, including a woman, reportedly suffered complete vision loss. Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital and LV Prasad Eye Institute were among the centres treating patients with firecracker-related injuries.
In Bengaluru, three major eye hospitals reported at least 72 firecracker-related eye injury cases. Minto Ophthalmic Hospital recorded 14 cases, Narayana Nethralaya treated 31 patients and Sankara Eye Hospital reported 26 patient entries. Several patients suffered grievous injuries, with some requiring surgery and facing the possibility of partial or complete vision loss.
The study, titled Firecracker-related ocular injuries during the Diwali festival: A multicentric prospective study from Central and Western India, examined 67 patients treated at three tertiary eye-care centres during the 2023-24 Diwali period.
The researchers included Dr Purendra Bhasin, Dr Priyamvada Bhasin and Dr Sonali Sundaram from the Ocular Trauma Department of Ratan Jyoti Netralaya, Madhya Pradesh, and Dr Mehul A Shah, Dr Shreya Shah and Dr Nikita Balani from Drashti Netralaya, Dahod, Gujarat.
They found that children accounted for 62.7% of the patients, while males constituted 89.6%. The patients ranged from three to 63 years, with a median age of 14 years.
While 65.7% of injuries occurred among people handling firecrackers, 34.3% involved bystanders. Blast injuries accounted for 80.6% of cases, while 82.1% suffered closed-globe injuries, in which the outer wall of the eyeball remains intact despite internal damage.
More than 40% of patients presented with visual acuity worse than 6/60, indicating substantial visual impairment. Two patients had no perception of light at presentation. Sixteen of the 67 patients, or 23.9%, required surgery, including procedures to repair corneal or scleral damage and remove foreign bodies.
Researchers also estimated the total economic burden of treating the 67 patients at Rs 21.1 lakh, with an average cost of Rs 31,500 per patient. The calculation included medical expenses as well as indirect costs such as travel, lost wages, school absence and caregiver expenses.
The researchers said the substantial proportion of bystander injuries showed that firecracker-related eye trauma was not merely an individual safety issue but a wider public-health concern. They called for stronger regulatory measures, public awareness and supervised use of firecrackers.
Doctors say eye injuries can be devastating. The cornea, the transparent front surface of the eye, is particularly vulnerable to heat and flying fragments. Depending on the force and location of the impact, injuries can range from superficial abrasions and eyelid damage to internal bleeding, corneal perforations and rupture of the eyeball.
Dr Amrita Kapoor Chaturvedi, senior consultant and associate professor of Ophthalmology at Amrita Hospital, Faridabad in Haryana, said firecracker-related eye injuries were among the most preventable but potentially devastating emergencies seen during the festive season.
A single explosion can cause corneal burns, penetrating injuries and internal bleeding, sometimes resulting in permanent blindness. Children, pedestrians and bystanders are equally vulnerable, she said.
In severe cases, patients may require complex surgery or even corneal transplantation, which does not guarantee restoration of sight, warned the Ophthalmologist.
