October 16th, 2025: ASG Eye Hospital today announced a Diwali safety initiative that will provide free investigation and surgery for all firecracker-related eye injuries in children under 15 years of age. The initiative will run from October 15 to October 24, 2025, across all 175+ centres across 87+ cities.
By bringing all ASG Eye Hospitals and Vasan Eye Care centres across India under one initiative, the organization reaffirms its mission to help everyone light up this Diwali — without worrying about accessibility to quality eye care in case of unexpected eye injuries.
Children until the age of 15 face a high risk of firework-related eye injuries, due to proximity and general natural curiosity that often overrides caution at that age. This presents several complications with accompanying long-term vision loss, especially around Diwali. Traditionally, the festive period has seen a higher incidence of eye-related emergencies at the network hospitals. This campaign is designed for a swift and coordinated response to the most common eye injuries seen during the festive season since trauma to the eye can permanently affect a child’s vision and quality of their life, if not treated in time.
Dr. Himanshu Shekhar, Group Chief Strategy officer, ASG Eye Hospital, said “The first few hours after an eye injury are critical. Delays happen because of lack of awareness, fear of high expenditure and lack of the right kind of care. Owing to this, unfortunately, Diwali marks our busiest time. This Diwali, we’ve ensured that we offer this service across all our centres to increase accessibility, remove the cost element entirely and ensure high quality care is made available to everyone in need. Investigations and surgeries will be free of cost. The takeaway is to completely avoid home remedies and take the child to the closest ASG or Vasan centre immediately”
Explaining why the focus is on children, Dr. Himanshu Shekhar added: “Kids are often closest to the sparks or the debris around fireworks. They are curious and not always able to recognise the danger, making them especially vulnerable. Corneal and anterior segment injuries are common during Diwali and can be sight-threatening without prompt specialist intervention.”
Dr. Vikas Jain, Group COO, ASG Eye Hospital said, “The combined network strength of ASG Eye and Vasan Eye Care will be capable of mobilising eye specialists and initiating trauma protocols across metros, Tier-2, and Tier-3 cities through the festive peak. People can rest easy knowing that in case of an accident with a firecracker, help is close by. Just walk in, and our teams are there to help . The pediatric cases under 15 will be prioritised based on triage, imaging and surgical care where needed, free of charge within the scope of this initiative.”
Preventive measures such as adult supervision, maintaining distance while lighting fireworks and wearing protective eyewear are important, but when injuries do occur, immediate medical intervention significantly improves outcomes. The initiative will run during the peak Diwali period from October 15th to 24th. Pharmacy, Anaesthesiologist/anaesthetist charges and spectacles are not covered under this programme.
If a child suffers a firecracker eye injury, keep both eyes as still as possible; do not rub the eye or apply pressure, kajal, ointment or water jets; shield the injured eye lightly without pressing; and reach the nearest ASG Eye Hospital or Vasan Eye Care centre immediately. Early, specialist care can make a key difference between recovery and permanent loss of vision.