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This abstract is assigned to session OB Poster session > in O'Bistro

Title

Laser-induced retinal injury following a recreational laser show: Two case reports and a clinicopathological study.

Purpose	Background: Two patients who attended a dance festival with an audience-scanning laser show presented in our department with a decrease in visual acuity from a direct laser hit in one eye. Ophthalmoscopy showed a similarly sized retinochoroidal coagulation spot, which had led to a retinal hemorrhage in both patients. Because the organizers of the show concluded that the retinal injury was caused by powerful, handheld laser pointers in the crowd, we were interested in determining if these laser pointers could cause this kind of acute retinopathy.
Methods	Methods: A 44-year-old man with an extrafoveal, temporal choroidal melanoma was scheduled for enucleation. The eye (visual acuity 20/20) had a healthy-appearing macula. Prior to enucleation, the retina was exposed to eight different durations (0.5-64 seconds) of laser beam from a commercially available, handheld, class 3B green laser pointer (500 mW).
Results	Results: Histologic analysis was unable to identify any abnormalities in the choriocapillaris, the photoreceptors or the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE).
Conclusion	Conclusion: The use of powerful laser appliances (class 4 lasers) directed into the audience (audience-scanning laser show) can cause significant retinal injuries with lifelong visual consequences. It is unlikely that laser pointers, even those of class 3B, can cause these ocular injuries.

Author 1

Last name	BOOSTEN
Initials	K
Department	Dept. of Ophthalmology UZLeuven, Belgium
City	Leuven

Author 2

Last name	Van Ginderdeuren
Initials	R
Department	Dept. of Ophthalmology UZLeuven, Belgium
City	Leuven

Author 3

Last name	Spileers
Initials	W
Department	Dept. of Ophthalmology UZLeuven, Belgium
City	Leuven

Author 4

Last name	Stalmans
Initials	I
Department	Dept. of Ophthalmology UZLeuven, Belgium
City	Leuven

Author 5

Last name	Wirix
Initials	M
Department	Dept. of Ophthalmology H.Hart Ziekenhuis, Leuven, Belgium
City	Leuven

Author 6

Last name	Van Calster
Initials	J
Department	Dept. of Ophthalmology UZLeuven, Belgium
City	Leuven

Author 7

Last name	Stalmans
Initials	P
Department	Dept. of Ophthalmology UZLeuven, Belgium
City	Leuven