First aid for Diwali firecracker eye injuries and burns

Diwali or Deepavali is the festival of light, It is one of the most important and celebrated festivals not only in India but across the globe. In addition to new clothes and sweets, Diwali is uniquely celebrated with earthen lamps, candles and bursting firecrackers, with the belief that the festival will take us towards the light from darkness and brings a lot of prosperity in life.

Although Diwali festival brings happiness and celebration and prosperity to billions of people, It could also bring darkness in a few people literally. Every year thousands of people lose their sight permanently from the firecrackers injuries. The firecracker injuries and burns to eyes, face and hands are very common during Diwali. In spite of a lot of awareness on safety and non-usage of firecrackers, we are seeing an increasing number of burns reporting every year. As per the research, the number of burns reported double from 0.81 to 1.51 per 1, 00,000 population between 2002 to 2010.

Majority of the Diwali firecracker burns are minor, which doesn’t require hospital admission. However, providing immediate first aid for the burns and wounds could help the casualty by preventing infections and from other medical complications. In this article let us see the common Diwali firecracker injuries and first aid for the same.

First of all ”say no to firecrackers”

Here are the reasons for you to say no to firecrackers

1. Keeps you and your family away from firecracker injuries and burns
2. We are already breathing bad air, don’t pollute it more
3. The sound form crackers irritate animals and seniors
4. Why burn your hard-earned money, crackers are expensive

After all, if you still want to burn the crackers and celebrate Diwali your way, then play safe.

Diwali Firecrackers safety tips:

1. Use genuine fireworks that are approved by your local bodies
2. Use safety hand gloves, eyeglasses before you light up the cracker
3. Keep a bucket of water, first aid kit and eye washer handy
4. Choose a long stick to fire the crackers over the short one
5. Never allow children to light the cracker
6. Don’t try to light crackers on your hand, always keep it on the ground and light it.
7. Don’t try to light multiple crackers at once
8. Never try to relight the fireworks that are not ignited fully
9. Light the crackers and move back to the safe distance
10. Dispose burnt firecrackers safely and wash your hands cleanly

We never know when an emergency strikes us when something goes wrong, be prepared to perform first aid or take a casualty to the nearest hospital quickly

First aid for burns on hands, face and other parts of the body caused by Diwali firecrackers 

1. Look around and make sure the scene is safe for you before you rush. Bring casualty to the safe area before treating.
2. in case of third-degree burn i.e major burn call nearest ambulance. You can always use VMEDO app to book the nearest ambulance in India or call VMEDO helpline: 9343180000 to book ambulance and get emergency medical assistance
3. In case of the first-degree burn keep the burnt area under the running water for minimum 10 minutes
4. Once the pain in the area is reduced, you can apply antimicrobial ointment to keep the wound away from the infection and cover the wound from wound dressing bandage or any non-adhesive bandage.
5. Take the person to the hospital if burns found in sensitive parts like eyes, ears, genitals
6. In case of a second-degree burn, wash the wound with clean water and cover the wound with clean plastic or nonadhesive bandage applied lightly and take him to the nearest hospital quickly

What not to do:

1. Don’t apply ghee, toothpaste, turmeric or any other liquid on burns as it could cause more harm
2. Don’t cover the wound with cotton dressing it could stick to the wound
3. Don’t use adhesive bandage above the burnt wounds
4. Don’t burst the blister, keep it away from getting burst using Moleskin bandage

First aid for eye injuries caused by firecrackers 

Wounds in the eye

1. Place an eye pad or a light clean dressing over the injured eye
2. Help the casualty to lie in a comfortable position and reassure him
3. Ask casualty not to move his eyes or cover both the eyes with a loose bandage
4. Call an ambulance or Take him to nearest hospital or ophthalmologist

Objects in the eye

1. Ask the casualty to look up, draw the lower lid down. Remove the object if visible using a clean cloth
2. If unsuccessful wash the eyes with clean water
3. If still unable to take the object out cover the injured eye with an eye pad and take him to the nearest hospital or ophthalmologist

Burns in the eye

1. Open the eyelid gently and wash the injured eye with clean water for a minimum of 20 minutes
2. Cover the injured eye with eye pad and bandage both the eyes
3. Call the nearest ambulance or take the casualty to the nearest ophthalmology hospital

What not to do:

1. Never try to blow the injured eye,
2. Don’t keep the uninjured eye below the injured while cleaning the injured eye with water, this could cause the chemicals to get into the uninjured eye and might cause irritation
3. Don’t try to take the embedded objects, this could cause more damage to the eye

on first aid for Diwali firecrackers injuries is helpful. We wish one an all a very happy and safe Diwali

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