20 Persons have eyes severely damaged, 10 Victims completely lost 1 eye, most of 170 injured need retinal surgery, Nasir(5) Battles pellet injuries
Of over 170 persons admitted at general specialty SMHS hospital here with eye-injuries, at least 20 have their both eyes “severely damaged” by pellets while another 10 persons have completely lost their one eye to the ‘lethal’ ammunition. While doctors have started to operate upon these patients, they fear the damage caused by the pellets to many persons may be “irreparable.”
A senior eye specialist at the hospital said 20 persons with injuries in both eyes, including some teenagers and young girls have been categorized as “very critical cases”.
“We have some patients who have been hit by pellets in the apex of orbit in both eyes (pellets have entered from one side of eye and exit from other side). In such cases there are minimal chances of recovery of the eyesight,” said the doctor. Among these patients is 14-year-old Insha Mushtaq, Firdous Ahmad Dar from Sopore and Danish from Rainawari here.
“These and many other patients (with injuries in both eyes) are all critical cases,” said another senior doctor, explaining that the nature of injuries includes vitreous hemorrhage, retinal detachment, tear and holes.
The Ophthalmology Department, according to the doctor, has performed six vitrectomies, the surgical procedure of removing the vitreous humour from the eyeball, so far.
Apart from persons with injuries to both eyes, the hospital has admitted 10 persons whose one eye has been completely lost due to globe rupture caused by the pellets.
“Every component of their eye had got damaged. We had to remove the damaged components; in such cases there is only eye socket left,” said the doctor.
From July 9, the hospital has admitted more than 170 persons with pellet injury in one or both eyes, most of them from South Kashmir which has been the epicenter of protests following killing of Hizb commander Burhan Wani. Of these, the doctors said, 140 persons have been operated upon as “preliminary treatment.”
“Almost all of them need retinal surgery. The worry is that some of these persons need to undergo immediate surgical procedure,” said the doctors.
The use of pellet guns, described as “non-lethal” by the Government, has resulted in killing of three persons in the ongoing protests apart from injuries to over 600 persons including the 180 patients with eye injuries.
Human rights groups and resistance leaders have called for complete ban on use of the “lethal” weapon amid mounting criticism against the government for continuing the use of the pellet guns
“CRPF men slapped me and kicked me. As I tried to flee, something like needles hit my eye.” These are the words of five-year-old Nasir Ahmad Khan from South Kashmir’s Kokernag area, who is battling pellet injuries in his eyes, at SMHS hospital here.
Nasir was rushed to the hospital on Friday afternoon. While doctors who examined him said they can’t predict the nature of the injury “right now”, the victim is writhing in pain. Talking to media persons inside the hospital, Nasir’s mother said she had gone to visit a relative at district hospital Anantnag.
“As we came out from the hospital I was hit by a stone and fell unconscious. Some people supported me. As I was regaining my conscience, I heard people shouting ‘whose boy is this’,” she recalled.
Next, she said, she saw blood oozing out of her son’s eye.
“The people who brought him here said he was beaten by CRPF men. His clothes had been torn and he was crying. I cried after seeing his condition,” she said.
“I don’t know what hit my eye. I just felt as if a needle hit me and I started feeling intense pain,” Nasir said.
He said he was holding hand of her mother when she fell unconscious. “…they (CRPF men) came and caught hold of me. They started abusing and beating me,” he said.
