Pillion rider sustains corneal tear after bike passes flock of sparrows

The sharp end of feathers led to a tear in the cornea. Such injuries can allow infection to set in and cause corneal blindness. Luckily, she was brought to the hospital on time. We cleaned the wound and sutured the patient’s cornea

Mumbai: Srusthi Bharati (13), riding a pillion with her father, suffered a traumatic corneal tear injury on Wednesday at Agripada service road, Santacruz East after the motorcycle passed through a host of sparrows. The sharp feathers of the birds brushed her right eye, causing the injury.

Pillion rider sustains corneal tear after bike passes flock of sparrows

Bharati, a student of class nine, was returning home to Santacruz in the evening with her father after attending her tutorial classes.

“Suddenly the flock of sparrows came and I heard Shrushti shout. I took her home and tried home remedies like eye wash. Her eyes kept watering and she kept complaining of pain,” said Sunil, her father.

Things started getting tense at home when Bharati started experiencing temporary vision loss. She was rushed to the hospital.

Dr Renaldo Pavrey, senior consultant and head of the emergency medicine department at Nanavati Max Hospital who treated Bharati, said, “Such grave ocular injuries are extremely rare but prompt evaluation and accurate diagnosis is the key to a successful outcome. We did a thorough examination of her eye and detected the corneal laceration.”

Within two-and-a-half hours of landing at the hospital’s emergency department, Bharati was taken up for surgery to repair the corneal tear.

Dr Jimit Chaudhary, an ophthalmologist, who performed the corneal repair said though sparrows are small, harmless birds, sharp ends of their feathers brushed Bharati’s eye and sliced the cornea.

“The sharp end of feathers led to a tear in the cornea. Such injuries can allow infection to set in and cause corneal blindness. Luckily, she was brought to the hospital on time. We cleaned the wound and sutured the patient’s cornea,” he said.

Doctors said it will take another 20-25 days for Bharati’s cornea to heal, after which she will have perfect vision.

“We are relieved that her eyesight is salvaged. Bharati is studying hard to top her school in the secondary school certificate (SSC) examination and plans to enlist in Indian Police Services (IPS) by clearing civil services exams in the near future. I hope all motorcycle riders take necessary precautions to avoid such incidents,” said Sunil.