Hundreds of Chileans blinded by police in protests

The principle medical organization in Chile announced that well over 200 people have lost their sight, either partially or completely, due to being shot by pellets fired by state security agents during protests in the South American country.

Of those, at least 50 people will require prosthetic eyes said Dr. Patricio Meza, vice president of the Medical College of Chile. “This means that the patient doesn’t only lose their vision, but they lose their actual eye.”

Additional statistics from the medical body showed that the average age of victims is 30. In a large majority of the cases, the wound is caused by the impact of a lead or rubber projectile on their eyes, the Medical College confirmed.

More than 20 people have been killed and 2,500 injured since the protests began on October 18 in what started out as a student protest over an increase in subway fares but evolved into a much larger and broader movement, with a lengthy list of demands that are related to the ever-widening financial disparity between rich and less well-off Chileans.

 

Via DW