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Thermal macular injury from a 154 mW green laser pointer
Maria E Lim1, Joseph Suelzer2, Ramana S Moorthy3
1Department of Ophthalmology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana.
Abstract:
We report a case of accidental thermal injury due to improper use of a laser pointer obtained outside of the United States. A 13-year-old received a laser pointer as a gift and looked at a reflection of the beam. The patient underwent full ophthalmologic examination with fundus photography, spectral domain optical coherence tomography, and fluorescein angiography. Visual acuity in the left eye was 20/100 at presentation. Fundus examination and ancillary tests were consistent with thermal macular injury. The laser pointer was analyzed and found to be a green diode laser with average power output of 154 mW.

