Firecracker eye injury and burns: what to do right now and what not to do

It takes a second. A rocket turns sideways, an anar tips over, a spark from a phooljhari flies into someone’s eye, and a good evening goes bad. What you do in the next few minutes matters more than anything the hospital does later, and most of what we do by instinct makes things worse: rubbing the eye, washing it hard, putting in a drop, smearing toothpaste or ghee on a burn. This page is for that moment. It is first aid, not treatment. The aim is to protect the injured person until a doctor takes over. Checked 4 November 2026.

In short

• A cracker or something flying out of it hit the eye: do not rub it, press it, wash it or pull anything out. Put no drops or ointment in it. Cover it loosely with something stiff, such as the bottom of a clean paper cup, and go to an eye hospital at once.
• Only powder, a chemical splash or a speck got in, with no blow and no cut: flush the eye with plenty of clean, cool water for 15 to 20 minutes, with the lids held open, and then see an eye specialist.
• A burn: hold it under cool running water for 10 to 20 minutes. No ice, toothpaste, ghee, butter or cream. Take off rings and bangles, then cover it loosely.
• Call 112 (or 108 for an ambulance in most states) for a deep burn, a burn bigger than the person’s palm, any burn on the face, eyes, hands, feet or groin, any burn on a child or an older person, and any blast injury.
• Clothes on fire: do not run. Drop to the ground, cover the face with your hands and roll.

If a cracker hits the eye

The first thing to work out is what happened, because the advice splits in two.

• Powder, smoke chemical or a small speck, no blow, no cut. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) says to flush the eye straight away and continuously with plenty of clean, cool water for at least 15 to 20 minutes, keep the eyelids open while you do it, not rub the eye, and see an eye specialist immediately. Tilt the head so that the water runs away from the other eye.
• Hit by the cracker or a flying piece, or the eye looks cut, torn or has something stuck in it. Do not wash it. MoHFW’s eye advice covers flushing only, so for this case we looked at the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), which is American guidance, not Indian. It says to rest a shield over the eye without pressing on it, that the bottom of a paper cup taped to the bones around the eye will do, and that you should not rinse, rub, press, remove anything stuck in the eye, or give aspirin, ibuprofen and similar painkillers, because they thin the blood and may increase bleeding. Then get emergency help. An Indian eye specialist quoted by IANS gives the same core advice: cover the eye with clean gauze or a soft cotton cloth, do not try to take out anything embedded, and do not use drops or ointments on your own.

Children will try to rub the eye. Hold their hands gently, talk to them and keep them still on the way (our advice). Do not wait to see if it settles. The AAO warns that even a light blow can cause a serious injury inside the eye, such as a detached retina.

One more point from MoHFW’s own table of injuries: bystanders are at high risk from rockets, bombs and aerial crackers. The person who gets hurt is often not the one who lit it.

What not to do

• Do not rub the eye or press on it.
• Do not wash the eye if it was struck or may be cut, and do not wash it hard under a tap.
• Do not pull out a piece of cracker, wire or anything else that is stuck.
• Do not put in eye drops, ointment, ghee, honey, rose water or any home remedy. The AAO says ordinary drops can sting more or make the injury worse.
• Do not wait for the morning, and do not stop at a general chemist first (our advice). Go straight to an eye hospital or the nearest hospital emergency.

Why the hurry? The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi’s Dr Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, according to IANS, treated 190 eye injuries from firecrackers and carbide guns in the 2025 Diwali period, against 160 the year before. Nearly 45 per cent were open-globe injuries, and about 60 children needed eye surgery.

Burns from crackers, sparklers and diyas

• 1. Make the place safe. Move the person away from the flame and from crackers that have not gone off. If the clothes are burning, see the clothes-on-fire steps below first.
• 2. Cool the burn under cool running water. MoHFW’s firecracker guidelines say at least 10 to 20 minutes, or until the pain eases a lot. Its burn treatment guidelines stress the first 10 minutes of continuous cooling, and the World Health Organization (WHO) says about 20 minutes is commonly advised for smaller burns. Use a tap, a shower or a mug, and begin at the scene. Keep the stream gentle and away from a burnt face. If there is no running water, use a container of cool water.
• 3. No ice, no ice-cold water. It can damage the skin further. For a baby, a young child or someone with a large burn, cool only the burnt part and do not put the whole body under water, because the body can get too cold. Keep the rest of the person warm.
• 4. Take off rings, watches and bangles before the swelling starts. Burnt clothing that comes away easily can go. If cloth is stuck to the burn, do not pull it. Cut around it and leave it.
• 5. Put nothing on it. MoHFW lists ointments, creams, lotions, powders, grease, ghee, butter, toothpaste and other home remedies, and says they make it harder for the doctor to judge the burn. Do not burst blisters.
• 6. Cover it loosely with cling film, a clean dry non-stick dressing or a clean, lint-free cloth. Not cotton wool, because the fibres stick.

We found two different lines on painkillers. MoHFW’s firecracker guidelines say paracetamol or ibuprofen can be given for mild to moderate pain if the person is awake and can swallow, but its burn treatment guidelines say oral painkillers are not usually recommended before hospital. If it is a bad burn, skip them and let the doctor decide. Never give them for an eye injury.

When to call 112 or go to hospital

MoHFW’s list is short and worth saving. Call 112, or take the person to the nearest hospital, for any of these: a deep burn (charred, white or leathery skin, or no feeling); a burn bigger than the injured person’s palm; a burn on the face, eyes, ears, hands, feet, joints or groin; a chemical burn; breathing trouble, a hoarse voice, coughing or burns on the face, which can mean smoke or hot air went in; a possible internal injury from a blast; any burnt child or older person; signs of shock such as pale, clammy skin and rapid shallow breathing; or a burn that gets worse or shows pus. 112 is the single national emergency number. 108 is the ambulance number, working in 35 states and union territories according to a PIB release of June 2026, and 101 is the fire service. Our pages on emergency numbers in India and how to make the call tell you what to say.

Badly bleeding hand after a bomb or anar? MoHFW says to press firmly on the bleeding with a clean cloth and get emergency care. A carbide gun, the pipe device that mixes calcium carbide with water, is banned and has caused blindness and lost fingers in children. Do not make or use one.

If clothes catch fire

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) says do not run, because rushing air only makes the flames burn faster. Drop to the ground, cover your face with your hands and roll over until the flames are out. If someone else is burning, lay them down and smother the flames with a heavy cotton cloth such as a blanket, rug or dari, and take it off at once afterwards because it holds heat. MoHFW says not to use nylon or other cloth that burns. Then cool the burn as above.

Before the first cracker is lit

• Eyes. MoHFW says to wear protective eyeglasses when lighting fireworks or watching them closely. Stand back when you light one, use a long candle or phooljhari, and keep the elbow straight so that your body is as far from the cracker as your arm allows.
• Hands. Never hold an anar or a bomb while lighting it. Never light a cracker inside a tin or a bottle. Wear closed footwear, and do not light crackers in a lane where vehicles are parked.
• Water and sand. Keep a bucket of water or sand next to you. Drop used sparklers and spent crackers into it so that no one steps on them. MoHFW names sparklers and flowerpots among the crackers that can burn severely, so they are not harmless for small children.
• Adults only. Fireworks are to be lit by adults, or under their close watch.
• Keep a small kit by the door: cling film, a clean lint-free cloth, a clean paper cup, a torch, and the name and number of your nearest eye hospital (our suggestion; ring ahead to ask whether its emergency is open through the festival).

Our Diwali cracker safety guide covers the rules on legal crackers and bursting hours, and this page covers storage and illegal home units. For first aid beyond burns, see basic first aid, and for a pressure-cooker or kitchen scald, the pressure cooker guide.

What we could not confirm

MoHFW’s firecracker guidelines, issued in 2026, tell people to flush the eye and not rub it, but they give no steps for a struck or punctured eye. That part, the shield, the ban on rinsing and on pulling things out, comes from the AAO and an Indian eye specialist quoted in the press. We found no Indian government text that says the same. The sources also differ on how long to cool a burn (10, 10 to 20, or about 20 minutes) and on tap water against sterile saline for the eye, and we have given the range. We did not watch the two videos below in full. This page is general first aid and not a replacement for a doctor. If you are unsure, go to hospital.