Purpose:Ocular trauma is a major cause of acquired monocular blindness in children. Firework injuries account for 20% of ocular trauma. The purpose of our study was to document the profile of ocular firework injuries in children during the festive season of Diwali and to determine the prevalence of unilateral blindness in them.Materials and Methods:A retrospective chart analysis of ocular firework injury in children during the festival of Diwali from 2009 to 2013, conducted in a tertiary care eye center in Tamil Nadu, Southern India. Children below 18 years of age with ocular firework injuries who presented to the emergency department for 3 consecutive days - the day of Diwali, 1 day before, and 1 day after Diwali - were included in this study.Results:Eighty-four children presented with firework-related ocular injuries during the study period. Male to female ratio was 4:1 with mean age 9.48 ± 4 years. Forty-four percentage required hospitalization. The prevalence of unilateral blindness in children due to fireworks was found to be 8% (95% confidence interval - 2–13%).Conclusion:Vision 2020 gives high priority to avoidable blindness, especially in children. In our study, for every 12 children who presented with firecracker injury, one resulted in unilateral blindness. This is an avoidable cause of blindness. Awareness needs to be created, and changes in policy regarding sales and handling of firecrackers including mandatory use of protective eyewear should be considered.

Introduction: Cataract is a leading cause of blindness globally. This study compared the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), surgically induced astigmatism (SIA), endothelial cell loss, and patient satisfaction between corneal section phacoemulsification (CSP) and Blumenthal manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS). Methods: In this pragmatic study, following pre-operative assessment, patients made a choice to undergo either CSP or MSICS after the options were explained by the ophthalmologist. Pre-and post-operative (Day 1, 1-week, 6-weeks) refraction, keratometry and specular microscopy were performed. Subjective improvement in visual function was assessed before surgery and at 6-weeks post-surgery using the 7-item VF-7 scale that assesses functional status and quality-of-life changes. Results: Of the 178 eyes, 99 had CSP and 79 MSICS. At 6-weeks, BCVA of < 6/18 was achieved in 100% in CSP and 96.2% in MSICS (p = 0.27). The mean (SD) SIA was significantly lower (p = 0.003) with CSP (1.29 ± 0.71 D) than MSICS (1.01 ± 0.49 D). Endothelial loss was lower (p = 0.008) with MSICS (271 ± 280 vs. 527 ± 475 cells/mm 2). Subjective improvement in visual function was better after MSICS than with CSP. Conclusion: Despite similar visual acuity with CSP and MSICS, subjective improvement was better with MSICS. SIA was lower with CSP while endothelial loss was lower with MSICS.