Visakhapatnam: Even as there is a lot of stress on green crackers this Diwali, ophthalmologists share a list of dos and don’ts to celebrate the festival of lights safely. With children looking forward to celebrating the festival with fervour, ophthalmologists share tips on preventing eye injuries caused due to fireworks.

Underlining the need to celebrate a safe Diwali, Dr Arpitha Reddy and Dr Nikita Das, in-charge of emergency services at LVPEI’s GMR Varalakshmi campus, Visakhapatnam caution to rinse the eye gently if there is any debris in the eye either with clean water or saline solution. “Keep the injured eye closed to avoid further damage and seek medical attention as quickly as possible,” they recommended.

Further, they suggest refraining from touching or rubbing the injured eye and avoid putting any pressure on the injured eye. In case of any object lodged in the eye, they advised to approach the hospital immediately and avoid incorporating any home remedy. Excessive bleeding, vision change are some of the worsening symptoms they advocated to be wary of.

Purchasing fireworks from authorised manufacturers, sun-drying them for a couple of days prior, storing the stock away from flammable materials, supervising children while they light the firecrackers, keeping buckets of water ready to douse any burns are some of the other precautionary measures suggested by the ophthalmologists.

Laying emphasis on celebrating clean, safe and pollution-free Diwali, Mayor and GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg urged citizens to celebrate an eco-friendly Diwali. They appealed to the public to pay special attention to children, elderly and those suffering from heart ailments while bursting fireworks.

Pre-Diwali celebrations

Highlighting tradition and culture, Sun International Institute Tourism and Management organised pre-Diwali celebrations on Saturday. Involving students and management, the green celebrations here set the right tone for the festivities. Donning traditional attire and participating in a host of programmes featured on the occasion, students celebrated the pre-Diwali with fervour. “Our festivals reflect India’s culture and heritage. The pre-Diwali celebrations aim to encourage the younger generation to celebrate the festival without causing any impact to the environment and at the same time preserve India’s heritage,” emphasised Asha Jasti, Executive Director of the institution.

Ladoo-making

Novotel Visakhapatnam Varun Beach celebrated the festival with a ladoo-making ceremony at the Pool Deck, bringing families, friends and food enthusiasts on to a platform. The culinary experts led guests to an engaging, hands-on session where the guests learnt to make a variety of ladoos incorporating ghee, cardamom and other ingredients.