Paediatric Laser Pointer Induced Retinopathy in a
Successfully Treated Amblyope: A Case Report

Aust Orthopt J 2020 Volume 52: 27-29

Genevieve Mooney BSMedSc MOrth ¹
Frank J Martin MBBS FRACS FRANZCO ^1,2,3,4

¹ Sydney Ophthalmic Specialists, Sydney, Australia
2 University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
³ Sydney Children’s Hospital Network, Sydney, Australia
⁴ Sydney Eye Hospital, Sydney, Australia
 

A 14 year-old male presented with a two-week history of blurred vision and a central scotoma after having a laser shone into his left eye. The patient had a significant previous ocular history of an infantile non-accommodative right esotropia for which he had amblyopia therapy and strabismus surgery. The
patient’s amblyopia had been successfully treated with parttime occlusion resulting in equal vison of 6/6 in each eye, with a residual right micro esotropia. Clinical examination from two weeks to six months post injury revealed reduced left vision and a central scotoma which did not improve. Optical coherence
tomography and fundoscopy revealed focal atrophy of the photoreceptor layer at the fovea. The patient switched fixation and now has a left micro esotropia and can maintain 6/6 vison with the use of his previously amblyopic eye. This case highlights the importance of both amblyopia treatment and the
dangers of misused lasers.