An analysis of ocular firecracker injuries in five consecutive years during a festive season in a tertiary eye care hospital in South India, Expert Review of Ophthalmology, 11:3, 235-240, ABSTRACT Background: To analyse the presentation of ocular firecracker injuries during a festival celebration in five consecutive years. Methods: We retrospectively analysed 541 patients with cracker injuries who presented to a tertiary eye care hospital during the fortnight of Deepavali for five consecutive years. The parameters studied were the age and sex, environmental factors, type of firework, eye involved and whether the involved person was a passer-by or actively involved. Results: Children up to 15 years, males and bystanders were seen to be affected more frequently. The most common firework involved was the flower pots. Conclusions: Fire cracker related ocular injuries are an important public health problem in India where celebrations are not complete without lighting crackers. This study brings to light the importance of safety measures and emphasises the need for restrictive firework legislation which has proved to reduce such injuries in countries across the world.

Objectives:Ocular tuberculosis is an extrapulmonary tuberculous infection and has varying manifestations which pose a huge challenge to diagnosis and treatment. The purpose of this study is to describe the various clinical manifestations of ocular inflammations due to tuberculosis and to assess the response to treatment following antituberculous therapy (ATT) and corticosteroids in these patients.Materials and Methods:We performed a retrospective analysis of 29 patients with presumed ocular tuberculosis who were started on ATT and completed follow-up of at least 6 months after ATT was initiated. The data collected were: age at presentation, sex, laterality, presence or absence of pulmonary/extrapulmonary tuberculosis, history of exposure to tuberculosis, site of ocular involvement and duration of illness, visual acuity at presentation and at 6-month follow-up, and response to treatment.Results:Most of the patients were of economically productive age, between 21-60 years. This most common presentation in our study population was unilateral nongranulomatous anterior uveitis. In spite of the delay between symptom onset and start of therapy, favorable response was noted in 79.3% of patients at completion of 6 months of ATT. The various reasons for the delay in start of therapy were also evaluated.Conclusion:In this case series, we presented the various ocular manifestations and the difficulties faced in the diagnosis of presumed ocular tuberculosis. Outcomes of ATT were favorable in most of our patients. Thus, the clinician should exercise a very high degree of suspicion and should not withhold a trial of ATT.

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