Carbide gun victims say, ‘light now hurts’:Eyes shut automatically in brightness; even mention of firecrackers brings fear and memories of pain

In the ophthalmology ward of Bhopal’s Hamidia Hospital, 28-year-old Prashant lies silently on a hospital bed. His eyes are tightly bandaged, covered with a pair of dark glasses to block even the faintest ray of light. Beneath those layers, his restlessness reveals that the pain he carries is not only in his eyes but also in his heart. His sister, sitting quietly by his side, whispers, “Whether it’s Diwali or Bhai Dooj, this year everything is passing in the hospital. Now even the name of firecrackers frightens him.” Prashant recalls that terrible moment. “When that thing hit my eye, everything went numb,” he says. “For three or four days, there was only burning and pain. I didn’t even realize when Diwali came and went. Every year on Bhai Dooj, I go to Indore to get a tika from my sister, but this time she’s here beside my hospital bed.” He pauses, his voice turning faint. “At first, I couldn’t see anything. Now I can see a little—like someone’s sitting in front of me, but their face is blurred. It’s like a white curtain before my eyes. The doctors said the treatment will take at least six to eight months.” Prashant represents hundreds of children and young men across Madhya Pradesh whose eyesight was damaged this Diwali by carbide guns—a dangerous home-made device that has spread across markets and social media under the guise of a harmless toy. “I can’t bear light anymore” Prashant says he can no longer tolerate sunlight. “Even a little brightness makes my eyes shut automatically. I work as a plumber and laborer. All my work happens in daylight. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do it again,” he says softly. He adds, I wish someone had warned me before—that this wasn’t a firecracker but a trap. Now I’ll be the one warning others. Stay away from these things, or they won’t just take your eyes—they’ll take the light from your life. A father’s dream scorched by fire In Vidisha’s Bunty Nagar, Diwali night left more tears than celebration.
Raja Vishwakarma, a 20-year-old MBA student studying in Bhopal, had come home for the festival. In his neighborhood, a few people were selling locally made “desi guns.” Out of curiosity, Raja bought one. It worked four or five times and then stopped,” he recalls. “When I looked inside to see why—it suddenly exploded. A spark flew straight into my eye. Raja’s left eye suffered a serious injury, and he was rushed to Vidisha Medical College. His cornea is badly damaged, and his vision remains blurred. His father, Khemchand Vishwakarma, a carpenter, says with trembling hands, “Raja is my eldest son. He’s hardworking and wanted to make something of himself. I always dreamed he’d do well in life. Now, I can’t stop worrying about his eyesight.” “My mother warned me, but I didn’t listen” For Om, a 16-year-old from Gola Pahadiya, life was once simple—school, friends, and a dream of becoming an officer. But a social media reel changed it all. My younger brother Mayank bought a carbide gun from the market,” he says. “We saw a video showing how to use it. It didn’t work at first, so I looked into the barrel—and that’s when it exploded. Shards of carbide struck his eyes directly, turning his cornea completely white. “My mother kept warning me not to use it,” he says, his voice breaking. “But I didn’t listen. Now I regret it deeply. Everything looks blurry, like someone’s put a white curtain over my eyes.” The ‘Doctor’ who became a patient In Bhopal, 11-year-old Ayush Ahirwar, a fourth-grader who dreamed of becoming a doctor, was fascinated by carbide gun reels on social media. His father, Rakesh, a daily wage laborer, says, Ayush insisted on having one. He fired it four times. The fifth time it didn’t go off. When he looked inside, it exploded—and flames hit his eyes. Ayush was taken first to People’s Hospital, then to AIIMS Bhopal, and finally to Vidisha Medical College. “He used to say he’d become a doctor one day,” Rakesh says, his eyes moist. “Now he depends on doctors for his vision.” Social media experiments gone wrong Neha Ahirwar, a 16-year-old science student from Lashkarpur, watched a reel showing how to make a carbide gun using a plastic bottle, lighter, and calcium carbide. The experiment looked simple and exciting. “I tried it at home,” she says. “It worked fine four times. The fifth time it didn’t fire. When I looked inside, it exploded.” The blast sent fire, gas, and debris directly into her eyes. “My left eye was already weak,” she says quietly. “That day I wasn’t wearing my glasses. Now everything looks cloudy. I wanted to become a doctor to help people regain their eyesight—but now I’m struggling to save my own.” Doctors warn: “Three types of eye injuries” Dr. Aditi Dubey, ophthalmologist at Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal, says she has treated 37 patients injured by carbide guns so far. “Most have regained partial vision, but tiny particles inside the eye will only become visible as the cornea heals. It’s too early to say whether they’ll cause long-term damage,” she explains. Dr. S.S. Kubrey, another senior ophthalmologist, says the carbide gun causes three distinct types of injuries, First is a chemical injury, when calcium carbide and other chemicals damage the stem cells in the eye. Second, a mechanical injury, caused by high-speed particles striking the cornea. And third, a thermal injury, from the explosion’s heat and flames damaging the delicate eye tissues. “These patients are among the most serious we’ve seen,” Dr. Kubrey says. “Immediate treatment is crucial. The longer the delay, the greater the chance of permanent blindness.” Rising cases and missing data According to hospital records, Bhopal alone has reported 189 cases, while more than 300 people across Madhya Pradesh have suffered injuries caused by these home-made guns. Doctors say 50% of patients experience intense light sensitivity—seeing only white haze or bright circles in daylight. 5–10% require prolonged treatment lasting up to six months. If recovery fails, corneal transplants are the last resort. However, the state health department has not yet released official figures. As a result, there’s no data on patients treated in private hospitals—leaving many injuries unaccounted for. The epicenter of a man-made tragedy Across the state, 320 people have suffered eye injuries from carbide guns—80% of them children. The sound of explosions and the flash of flames left many with burned corneas or partial loss of vision. Bhopal has become the epicenter of the tragedy, with 189 victims hospitalized and 43 undergoing surgeries. Doctors have grafted amniotic membranes—a thin layer from the uterus—onto damaged eyes to help rebuild corneal tissue. “If there’s no improvement,” doctors say, “the only options left are stem cell or corneal transplants—a process that takes up to six months.” Hospitals including AIIMS, Hamidia, Sewa Sadan, and BMHRC are conducting operations daily. Sewa Sadan alone has treated 63 patients, including 48 carbide gun victims—the highest number in India. Warnings ignored, lessons learned late The All India Ophthalmological Society (AIOS) has issued an advisory to all states, asking for detailed reports on these cases. The tragedy has also revived attention to a warning once issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). ICMR studies had long cautioned that the reaction between calcium carbide and water produces acetylene gas—a highly flammable substance capable of violent explosions and serious injuries. “This gas doesn’t just explode—it can permanently blind,” the study had warned.