Laser pointer maculopathy

PURPOSE: To report a case of macular damage from a laser pointer. METHOD: Case report A 19-year-old woman had an acute reduction of visual ac uity in the right eye after deliberately staring into a commercial class 2 laser pointer for approximately 10 seconds. RESULTS: The patient's best-corrected visual acuity was RE: 20/40, and she had two small pericentral scotomata, as well as a hypopigmented ring-shaped lesion in the fovea, Within 8 weeks, her visual acuity improved to 20/20 a nd visual field returned to normal, bur a subjective relative decrease in b rightness of objects viewed by the right eye was apparent. Retinal pigment: epithelial abnormality persisted. CONCLUSIONS: Commercial laser pointers, commonly used for teaching and ente rtainment purposes, may cause notable macular damage if abused. Morphologic ally, this may manifest as foveal retinal pigment epithelial disturbance. ( Am J Ophthalmol 1999;127:728-729. (C) 1999 by Elsevier Science Inc. All rig hts reserved.).