A Case of Retinal Injury During a Laser Show

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To report a case of macular injury after exposure to a high energy laser beam used in a laser show. CASE A 19-year-old female presented 2 days after exposure to a high energy laser beam at a laser show in a night club with decreased vision in her right eye. The patient's best corrected visual acuity of the right eye was hand motion. Fundus examination reveald a retinal swelling in the macular area approximately 5 disc diameter in size and a submacular hemorrhage. Fluorescein angiography of the right eye showed marked hypofluorescence in the macular area and optical coherence tomography (OCT) showed a neurosensory retinal detachment with a macular edema. Three years after exposure, the visual acuity of the right eye improved to 20/600. The fundus revealed scar and depigmented area at the macula. CONCLUSIONS: High-energy laser devices at laser shows should be used carefully with safety education and strict control and can provoke irreversible eye damage if not managed adequately.