Choroidal neovascularization after an alexandrite laser burn

Laser‐induced macular neovascularization following accidental exposure to Alexandrite laser and excellent response to anti‐VEGF: A case report

“…Intravitreal bevacizumab, as an anti‐VEGF, is widely used to cure MNV with different etiologies. It is used successfully in the treatment of alexandrite laser‐induced MNV 2,6–8 . This study documented MNV by OCTA in the patient and, therefore, administered anti‐VEGF rather than corticosteroid as the treatment option for the patient.…”

“…To protect the eye from the adverse effects of lasers, safety protocol is defined, including wearing wavelength‐specific protective goggles with side and top guards and a tight fit around the nose, avoiding looking at the laser beam, wearing opaque goggles with gauze sponges under it and corneal shields by the patient, removing all reflective objects (eg, mirrors and jewelry), and switching off the device at the end of the procedure 2,5–8 . Our patient suffered severe laser damage since she was not wearing protective glasses while staring and working very close to a laser device that was on, and she was young with clear media predisposing the ocular structure to more severe injury.…”

“…Optical coherence tomography angiography is a new, non‐invasive imaging technique in the diagnosis of MNV. There are a limited number of case reports about MNV following Alexandrite laser exposure, and OCTA was only performed in two cases, with one of them being conducted before the treatment 2,5–9 . Ryan et al 10 showed that the meantime of laser‐induced MNV was 2.9 weeks (range: 1–8 weeks) in an animal model.…”

“…Ryan et al 10 showed that the meantime of laser‐induced MNV was 2.9 weeks (range: 1–8 weeks) in an animal model. Kontadakis et al, Wang et al, Bulut et al, Meira et al, and Balikoglu‐Yilmaz et al reported laser‐induced MNV, respectively, 9 days, 3 weeks, 2 weeks, 1 month, and immediately after exposure 2,5,7–9 …”

“…The Alexandrite laser is a well‐known laser used for esthetic purposes, such as hair removal or depigmentation. Exposure to laser radiation can lead to ocular tissue damage, especially the retina, due to the high concentration of melanin in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) 1,2 . Since melanin absorbs visible and near‐infrared light wavelengths (400–720 nm and 720–1400 nm, respectively), Alexandrite laser with a wavelength of 750 nm easily targets retina and RPE and results in significant damage 3 .…”