Laser Pointer Retinopathy

Abstract

Nawaf Almegbel

Purpose: Clinical description of laser pointer retinopathy. Methods: Retinal burns leading to acute visual loss were documented by fundus photos and angiography in three eyes of two patients. Case Reports: A student competing with his friends to stare longer at a laser pointer (?power) resulted in bilateral retinal burns (final VA 20/100 and 20/40). Another student developed a foveal burn in his right eye (final VA was 20/40). This was a result of staring at a 5mW laser pointer. Conclusion: Laser pointers can result in serious retinal damage and choroidal neovascularization, especially long exposure to powerful ones [1]. However, the scientific literature showed that laser eye injuries are uncommon due to the use of nonindustrial lasers [2].

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