Lasers and toy projectiles present myriad ophthalmic dangers
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The threat of permanent ocular damage can take many forms as children delve into their new gifts in the midst of the holiday season.
“I do worry that because kids will be pent up and indoors, there is a higher risk than usual, but we will just have to wait and see,” Grayson W. Armstrong, MD, MPH, told Healio/OSN. “There’s a real risk that without proper oversight or protections, these kids could have worse injuries.”
Most toys, if used improperly, have the potential to cause ocular trauma. According to the organization World Against Toys Causing Harm, children are treated in emergency rooms for toy-related injuries every 3 minutes. Toys on this year’s watch list include projectile-styled toys such as missile launchers and race cars with ripcord launchers. Non-projectile toys include play fists, scientific kits and plastic swords.
“I think back to the things that cause the most damage, and it is most often the projectile injuries,” Armstrong, a surgeon at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, said. Items such as paintball guns, BB guns and airsoft rifles can cause devastating damage. If gifting items like these, parents should require their children to wear eye protection at all times.
In other years, eye injuries associated with tennis balls, soccer balls and lacrosse balls would be a bigger concern. These mostly occur in older children playing organized sports, which have mostly been put on hold, possibly resulting in fewer injuries, Armstrong said.
“Laser-equipped devices tend to be quite dangerous for the eye and can cause permanent damage,” Armstrong said.
Laser pointers and laser-equipped toys have the potential to severely damage the retina. When pointed into the eye, either directly or reflected, the laser can provide enough focal energy to “cause destruction of the photosensitive structures of the retina,” potentially leading to a decline in high acuity vision, to the point at which vision will not recover, Armstrong said.
Children tend to be resilient and might downplay injuries or not realize their vision is at risk, Armstrong said.
“Do everything you can to be cognizant of symptoms, take everything seriously, and encourage prompt follow-up,” Armstrong said.
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Press Release; Healio Interviews
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