> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.jaffnamonitor.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # 157 Treated for Eye Injuries After Jaffna Temple Festival; Police Seize High-Powered Lamps - URL: https://www.jaffnamonitor.com/featured/157-treated-for-eye-injuries-after-jaffna-temple-festival-police-seize-high-powered-lamps/ - Published: 2026-08-21T15:52:47.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-21T15:52:47.000Z - Author: Our Reporter - Tags: JM Exclusive, August 2026 **JAFFNA, Sri Lanka —** At least 157 people, including 55 children, have been treated at Jaffna Teaching Hospital after developing painful eye problems following a Hindu temple festival, prompting police to seize high-powered lamps used at the event as investigators seek to determine whether the lighting caused the injuries. The patients had attended a festival at a Murugan temple in the Piranpatru area of Jaffna, where powerful electric lamps had been installed around the temple grounds. Dr. T. Sathyamoorthy, director of Jaffna Teaching Hospital, said those seeking treatment included 58 men, 44 women and 55 children. They reported symptoms including eye pain, irritation and difficulty opening their eyes. The Jaffna District Secretary and the Sandilipay Divisional Secretary have advised anyone who visited the temple on Thursday to go to Jaffna Teaching Hospital for an eye examination. Police have seized several high-powered, Chinese-made lamps that had been installed at the temple and sent them for technical examination. Authorities are examining their electrical specifications, intensity and intended use, as well as whether the lamps were approved for use around the public or subject to any restrictions. Photographs of the seized equipment show large glass lamps containing internal arc-tube assemblies resembling high-intensity discharge, or HID, lamps. Such lamps include metal-halide and mercury-vapour types, although the precise type, wattage and specifications of those seized cannot be determined from photographs alone. Police have not yet established that the lamps caused the injuries. But doctors say the nature of the symptoms has raised the possibility of photokeratitis, an acute injury to the surface of the eye caused by excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation. A senior eye doctor in Jaffna said the symptoms being reported, severe pain, irritation, watering, sensitivity to light and difficulty opening the eyes, were consistent with such an injury, though examination of the patients and technical testing of the lamps would be required to establish the cause. Photokeratitis is sometimes described as a sunburn of the eye. Ultraviolet radiation damages the epithelial cells covering the cornea, the transparent outer surface at the front of the eye. As the damaged cells deteriorate and shed, the densely packed nerve endings in the cornea become irritated, producing sometimes intense pain, tearing, a gritty sensation and sensitivity to light. One characteristic of ultraviolet injury is that the damage may not be immediately apparent. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f0/aa/f0aaf7b7-6b61-437a-846a-1a80de683912/content/images/2026/08/157-treated-for-eye-injuries-a-93ed4b-1.jpg) People can be exposed without feeling significant pain at the time, with symptoms developing several hours later. That delay means someone could leave the temple apparently unaffected and wake during the night or the following morning with severe pain and difficulty opening their eyes. Some high-intensity discharge lamps can generate ultraviolet radiation as part of the electrical discharge that produces their light. Depending on their design, protective outer glass, filters or appropriate fixtures prevent potentially harmful ultraviolet radiation from reaching people nearby. That makes the technical examination of the seized lamps central to the investigation. Investigators will need to determine not only their visible brightness but also the wavelengths and intensity of radiation they produced, whether they emitted ultraviolet radiation at potentially hazardous levels and whether any protective component required for their safe operation was absent, damaged or improperly used. They are also examining whether the lamps were designed for the manner in which they were used at the festival and whether they were suitable for installation in an area where large numbers of people, including children, could remain nearby for extended periods. In most uncomplicated cases, photokeratitis is temporary. The surface of the cornea regenerates rapidly and symptoms typically improve as it heals. But an ophthalmic examination is important to determine the extent of an injury and exclude other causes or damage to deeper structures of the eye. Authorities have not released the results of the technical examination, and it remains unclear what type of lamps were installed, how powerful they were, how long they were operated or how close festival-goers were to them. Until those questions are answered, there is no definitive evidence that ultraviolet radiation from the lamps caused the injuries.