Incidence and long-term outcome of laser pointer maculopathy in children.

Abstract

PURPOSE:

Single center study to evaluate the incidence and long-term outcome of laser pointer maculopathy (LPM).

METHODS:

Medical records of 909,150 patients visiting our institution between 2007 and 2020 were screened in our electronic patient record system using the keywords "laserpointer," "laser pointer," and "solar."

RESULTS:

Eight patients (6/2 male/female, 11 eyes) with a history of LPM were identified by fundoscopy and optical coherence tomography (OCT), all of whom were children (6/2 male/female). Mean age at injury was 12.1 years (range 6-16). Five children (62.5%) were injured between 2019 and 2020, three (37.5%) between 2007 and 2018. Median best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of affected eyes at first presentation was 20/25 (range 20/50-20/16). Follow-up examination was performed in seven children (10 eyes) with a median follow-up period of 18 months (range 0.5-96). BCVA improved in 4 children (5 eyes; BCVA at follow-up 20/22.5, range 20/40-20/16). Three of these four children were treated with oral steroids. OCT revealed acute signs such as intraretinal fluid to resolve quickly, while outer retinal disruption persisted until the last follow-up in eight of eleven eyes. These lesions resembled lesions of patients with solar retinopathy of which seven cases (11 eyes) were identified between 2007 and 2020.

CONCLUSION:

Readily available consumer laser pointers can damage the retina and the underlying retinal pigment epithelium, possibly leading to long-lasting visual impairments. The number of laser pointer injuries has increased over the last years. Therefore, access to laser pointers for children should be strictly controlled.

• Authors: Navid Farassat, Daniel Boehringer, Jan Luebke, Thomas Ness, Hansjuergen Agostini, Thomas Reinhard, Wolf Alexander Lagrèze, Michael Reich
• Journal: International ophthalmology (Int Ophthalmol) Vol. 43 Issue 7 Pg. 2397-2405 (Jul 2023) ISSN: 1573-2630 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 36670265 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: © 2023. The Author(s).

Topics

• Humans
• Female
• Male
• Child
• Adolescent
• Incidence
• Visual Acuity
• Retinal Diseases (diagnosis, epidemiology, etiology)
• Lasers
• Macular Degeneration (complications)
• Tomography, Optical Coherence (methods)