Teen blindness spike linked with laser pointers

According to a letter to the editor published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, the teenager had been regularly shining a laser pointer into his eyes via a bathroom mirror, which his mother later admitted she had purchased online from an overseas website.As a result, the boy’s vision had diminished dramatically in both eyes due to vertical retinal scars that involved the central fovea, while infrared reflectance imaging donstrated increased reflectivity at the site of scars due to glial rodelling, and also photoreceptor and retinal pigment epithelial loss.{{quote-A:R-W:450-I:2-Q: While people are well aware of damage to the eyes that occur in sports or as a result of sun exposure, many people are not aware of the dangers of hand held laser pointers, -WHO:Dr Chandra Balaratnasingam, Ophthalmologist}}Dr Chandra Balaratnasingam, one of three ophthalmologists responsible for the letter, said doctors had witnessed an increase in eye damage caused by lasers.“The output of laser pointers purchased in Australia is very tightly regulated,” he said.“However, many people purchase th online from countries where there is no regulation and the output of these lasers can be more than 20 times what is considered safe.“What we are finding is the rise in laser-induced retinopathy parallels their growing availability from unregulated manufacturers.”From 2011 to 2012, the NSW International Mail Centre reported a 60% increase in laser pointers seized.Anecdotally, Balaratnasingam said pre-teen and teenage boys who were curious and risk-takers were more likely to experiment with lasers, while adding parents needed to ensure the lasers they purchased were from a reputable company and preferably within Australia.“While people are well aware of damage to the eyes that occur in sports or as a result of sun exposure, many people are not aware of the dangers of hand held laser pointers,” he said.“The number one message is that these lasers are not toys and can easily cause inadvertent injury to the retina and vision loss.”