TIRUNELVELI
Bright lights used in the annual day celebration of a primary school in the district briefly affected the eyes of around 60 children, who were treated in a hospital here on Saturday.
When the annual day celebrations of S.V. Hindu Primary School at Pottaiyadi near Ervadi in the district were organised in a small hall on the school premises on Friday evening, bright high-power lights were reportedly used to illuminate the stage and the hall as well.
Since bright lights with considerable heat were cascading from the halogen lamps used in the cramped hall where around 60 students and their parents were seated during the school day celebrations, the visitors, students, teachers, photographer covering the event and even the youth operating the sound system suffered severe irritation in the eyes that became red in the night.
“When the problem worsened on Saturday also and the affected children could not open their eyes properly, they, with watery eyes, have complained about it to their parents, who took their children to Aravind Eye Hospital here for screening. Moreover, five teachers and 30 parents have also been treated. As the ophthalmologists, after screening the students and the affected parents, say that the children’s problem would subside within 48 hours with basic medication prescribed by them, there is no need for panic. All the children and the affected parents were treated as outpatients,” said Collector Sandeep Nanduri after visiting the children and their parents at the hospital.
Moreover, the Dean of Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital S.M. Kannan and the Deputy Director of Public Health Senthilkumar would also screen them along with a team of ophthalmologists on Monday again to ascertain the progress.
The Collector said the heads of schools and colleges in the district would be instructed appropriately on the types of lights to be used during the celebrations on their premises.
Sub-Collector, Cheranmahadevi, P. Akash, Revenue Divisional Officer, Tirunelveli, Mythili and Chief Medical Officer of Aravind Eye Hospital Ramakrishnan were present.
The Ervadi police arrested the school correspondent Balasubramanian, 55, of Pottaiyadi, on Saturday evening. The police are also on the lookout for sound system operator R. Ramesh of the same area.
