Doctors from major hospitals have warned that potash and carbide guns used during Diwali celebrations can cause permanent eye damage, severe burns and life-changing injuries. Specialists at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, said the devices pose a serious risk to public safety when used alongside fireworks.

The AIIMS Delhi ophthalmology department received about 150 injured people after the previous Diwali. Around 60 of those patients had been hurt in potash or carbide-gun explosions. The reported injuries were so severe that each affected person suffered complete damage to one or both eyes.

The hospital’s plastic surgery department also treated about 80 seriously injured people who had been caught in potash-gun blasts. Doctors said many injured patients came from Sonipat, Palwal, Mewat and Hapur, along with Ghaziabad, Meerut, Noida and Greater Noida.

How the blasts damage the eyes

Dr Namrata, a professor in AIIMS Delhi’s ophthalmology department, said blast victims can suffer 3 forms of eye injury: chemical, thermal and mechanical damage. The combined impact can make recovery extremely difficult and may leave patients without the affected eye or with permanent loss of vision.

According to former AIIMS Delhi eye surgeon Dr Brajesh Lahiri, the chemicals and flames released by an explosion can first injure the outer surface of the eye. The damage may then extend to the cornea, lens, retina and internal nerves.

The intense heat generated by the chemicals can destroy cells in the cornea, he said. Such injuries can affect several critical parts of the eye at the same time, increasing the difficulty of treatment.

Dr Namrata said potash guns were originally developed to protect crops from birds, but later became part of Diwali celebrations. Assistant professor Dr Shivangi Saha of AIIMS Delhi’s plastic surgery department also expressed concern about people injured in these blasts.

Reports from Gorakhpur and other states

AIIMS Gorakhpur associate professor Dr Richa Agarwal said about 60 people arrived with eye injuries during the previous Diwali. She described that figure as the highest recorded there so far.

Of those patients, 20 had suffered serious injuries from potash guns. 10 lost all vision in the affected eyes, according to Dr Agarwal’s account.

Doctors in Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Uttarakhand have also reported serious injuries linked to fireworks and potash guns. Associate professor Dr Aditi Dubey of the ophthalmology department at Gandhi Medical College in Bhopal said dozens of people reach hospitals with firework injuries during Diwali every year.

Madhya Pradesh has a government prohibition on potash guns, according to the report. Despite that restriction, doctors continue to describe injuries associated with their use during the festival.

Uttarakhand hospitals report more than 100 injuries

Hospitals in Dehradun, Haldwani, Almora, Rudrapur and Haridwar, along with district hospitals across Uttarakhand, have reported more than 100 Diwali-related injured people each year, according to the state’s medical education authorities.

Dr Ashutosh Sayana, director of the Medical Education Department, said about 20 patients among the total reported from all districts lose one or both eyes. He said a large number of those injuries are caused by potash-gun explosions.

The figures cited by the different hospitals describe separate local reports and should not be added together. Together, they show the continuing danger doctors associate with using explosive devices during Diwali celebrations.

Eye surgeon Dr Puneet, ed at the Civil Hospital in Ambala, Haryana, also referred to a large number of people injured during the previous Diwali. The medical accounts underline the severity of injuries that can follow even a single blast.

Conclusion

Doctors and medical authorities in Delhi, Gorakhpur, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana have warned that potash and carbide guns can cause irreversible eye injuries, burns and serious trauma during Diwali. Their reported figures show why the use of these devices remains a major health concern.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What are potash and carbide guns linked to?

Doctors have linked their use during Diwali to serious eye injuries, burns and other blast-related trauma.

Q. How many eye-injury patients reached AIIMS Delhi after the previous Diwali?

The AIIMS Delhi ophthalmology department received about 150 injured people, including around 60 hurt in potash or carbide-gun explosions.

Q. What types of eye injuries can the blasts cause?

Dr Namrata identified chemical, thermal and mechanical injuries among the possible forms of damage.

Q. How many AIIMS Delhi plastic surgery patients were seriously injured?

About 80 seriously injured people reached the plastic surgery department after being caught in potash-gun blasts.

Q. What did AIIMS Gorakhpur report?

AIIMS Gorakhpur reported about 60 eye-injury patients during the previous Diwali, including 20 with serious potash-gun injuries.

Q. How many AIIMS Gorakhpur patients lost all vision?

10 of the patients with serious potash-gun injuries lost all vision in the affected eyes.

Q. What has Uttarakhand reported during Diwali?

Hospitals across Uttarakhand have reported more than 100 injured people during Diwali each year, according to the state’s medical education authorities.

Q. How many Uttarakhand patients reportedly lose one or both eyes?

Dr Ashutosh Sayana said about 20 patients among the total reported from all districts lose one or both eyes.