Ahmedabad Wedding Function Becomes An Eye-Sore After Bride And 100 Guests Get Eye Infections Thanks To Decorative Lights

A pre-wedding bash at P&T Colony in Shah-e-Alam ended in the hospital for more than 100 guests, including the bride, after they suffered a severe reaction to the halogen and helium lights used for decoration. The guests woke up on Saturday complaining of acute burning in the eyes, swelling, redness and watery eyes. The patients were treated at the Nagari Hospital and a private hospital in Danilimda.

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Meanwhile, decorators say this is the first time they came across such an issue. Danilimda cops have started a probe. The mehendi and garba function, which went on till 2.30 am on Saturday, was held to celebrate 22-year-old Sabiya Munirkhan Pathan¡¯s wedding to Akram Kadar Saiyed who also lives in the same colony. Sabiya, an MCom graduate, told Mirror, ¡°The doctors told me that I had suffered an allergic reaction to the lights used in decoration. When I woke up on Saturday morning, I was unable to even open my eyes. I had thought it was due to fatigue.

But when several other guests also complained of the same problem, we decided to take medical help.¡± Sabiya, whose wedding took place on Saturday evening, was asked by doctors to stay away from make-up products too. Asiya Memon, 37, who lives in the nearby Shah-e-alam row house said that they had felt a burning sensation in the eyes during the function. ¡°But everyone was busy having a gala time and no one paid much attention to it. I went to bed, hoping it would get better in the morning. However, when I woke up in the morning, my eyes were blood-red and watery.

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So, I rushed to the hospital where the doctors said it might be an allergic reaction to the halogen lights.¡± As many as 90 patients were treated at the Nagri hospital while nine others were treated at a private hospital in Danilimda. Nagri RMO Jignyasa Parikh said, ¡°On Saturday, we treated around 90 patients who came in with severe allergic reaction in the eye. The reaction was caused due to the halogen and helium lights used for decorations. We gave them anti-allergic injections and eye-drops.¡± She said that there is a team of doctors who will be available if the wedding party needed further medical assistance.

Sabiya¡¯s maternal grandfather Gulbahadur Khan, 67, maternal uncle Gul Mohammed, 42, two cousins ¨C Majir Pathan (10) and Malhin Modan (16) were also among those affected. Hardik Bhavsar, a doctor at a private hospital where some of the guests were treated, said, ¡°The guests came in with a case of severe toxicity, which was caused due to exposure to toxic gases contained in the light bulbs. The halogen and helium lights contain substances like mercury, sodium and noble gases like argon and krypton which are harmful when you come in contact with them.

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Some of the lights must have developed a leak or exploded and released the gases. The infection was treated with injections and eye-drops.¡± Meanwhile, the decorator removed the lights as soon as he heard of the trouble. Munaf Shaikh whose decoration company ¡ª Karishma Decorators ¡ªinstalled the lights, said, ¡°We have been supplying decorations for wedding venues for more than five years now. Never once have we faced such a problem. This is the first time that guests have suffered an allergic reaction to the lights. Now that we have got to know about it, we will check the lights to see how this could have happened and replace the lights if they are faulty.¡±

As the news of the incident spread, the police commissioner took note of it and directed the Danilimda police to look into the incident. Police Commissioner A K Singh said, ¡°I came to know of the incident through media. I have asked the control room to initiate an inquiry into the matter and submit a report.¡± Though Danilimda police have not received any complaint from the wedding party or from any of the hospitals, it has started investigating why such a health-scare took place, told Police Inspector R M Vasava.