A Case of Accidental Ocular Injury From Cosmetic Laser Burn

Abstract

The eye is the most susceptible body part to laser light injury. A review of reported laser accidents revealed the majority to be ocular injuries. The retina is particularly vulnerable, as laser light with wavelength between 400 nm and 1,400 nm is focused by the cornea and lens onto the retina, increasing the retinal irradiance as a result. Most injuries were parafoveal, suggesting that most injuries occurred during laser beam alignment. The prognosis is generally favorable. As laser use becomes more widespread and its application increasingly heterogeneous, regulation of laser use and monitoring of laser safety are crucial but at the same time challenging.

Observation of changes after peripheral retinal injury by cosmetic laser, using wide-field scanning laser ophthalmoscope

“…As our case was similar to that of Chen et al, [9] we considered changes in hemorrhaging over time and possible onset of retinal detachment. During the 6-month follow-up period, the blood from initial sub- and preretinal hemorrhage was absorbed; moreover, retinal detachment did not occur as scar formation took place, similar to the case reported by Shum et al [3]…”

“…Recent increase in the use of cosmetic laser devices in various fields has resulted in increased reports of retinal complications. [3–8] Asiri et al [4] reported 3 cases of retinal posterior pole injuries caused by alexandrite lasers, with macular choroidal neovascular membrane occurring as a possible secondary complication. Shum et al [3] reported on retinal injury in the periphery of the optic disc, caused by 1064 nm Nd:YAG cosmetic laser, where 6 months of follow-up observations did not detect retinal detachment.…”

“…[1] There have been recent reports regarding various retinal complications caused by cosmetic laser devices, most of which are limited to the retinal posterior pole. [3–8] Chen et al [9] reported a peripheral retinal injury that occurred 5 disc diameters (DD) below the macula; however, they limited their report to progress monitoring for 3 days following the injury, because of patient loss. We report on a case involving peripheral retinal injury caused by 1064-nm Nd:YAG: neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet.…”

Swallow-Induced Eyelid Myokymia: A Novel Synkinesis Syndrome

“…24 Both the wavelength and pulse duration of the laser are well defined such that the chromophores are selectively destroyed, preventing damage to non-targeted surrounding tissue. 25,26 We are not aware of any published cases of facial nerve palsy caused by laser hair removal treatment, and suspect our patient's recent laser hair removal procedure was coincidental, rather than contributory, to her synkinesis syndrome. Although a definitive cause of facial nerve injury could not be identified in our patient, we postulate a subclinical insult to the facial nerve followed by aberrant regeneration of involved facial nerve fibres innervating the suprahyoid muscles, resulting in synkinesis involving the orbicularis oculi muscle, with clinically significant swallow-induced eyelid myokymia.…”

Laser and Its Hazard Potential

“…Often they are caused accidentally, such as during a laser show [15] or by a cosmetic laser [16]. Accidental injuries by laser pointers with consecutive retinal affection were reported even after an exposure time of about 10 seconds [17].…”