@article{ref1,
title="Incidence and long-term outcome of laser pointer maculopathy in children",
journal="International ophthalmology",
year="2023",
author="Farassat, Navid and Boehringer, Daniel and Luebke, Jan and Ness, Thomas and Agostini, Hansjuergen and Reinhard, Thomas and Lagrèze, Wolf Alexander and Reich, Michael",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="PURPOSE: Single center study to evaluate the incidence and long-term outcome of laser pointer maculopathy (LPM). <br><br>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 &quot;laserpointer,&quot; &quot;laser pointer,&quot; and &quot;solar.&quot; 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. <br><br>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.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0165-5701",
doi="10.1007/s10792-023-02638-w",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10792-023-02638-w"
}