10.3205/OC000004
Veugelen, Tim
Tim
Veugelen
Coutteel, Carine
Carine
Coutteel
Leys, Anita
Anita
Leys
Flash photography-induced maculopathy
German Medical Science GMS Publishing House
2011
JournalArticle
flash photography
professional photographer
acute light-induced maculopathy
hemorrhage
foveal atrophy
610 Medical sciences; Medicine
2011-09-15
2011
en
urn:nbn:de:0183-oc0000043
oc000004
text/html
GMS Ophthalmology Cases; 1:Doc04; ISSN 2193-1496
Objective: To report a flash photography-induced maculopathy.
Methods: A professional photographer blinded himself accidentally and he consulted 3 days after the event with a scotoma in his dominant left eye. A unilateral acute light-induced maculopathy with hemorrhage was observed. The lesion was studied with colour photography, fluorescein and indocyanin angiography, autofluorescence imaging and repeated optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging.
Results: At age 43, this professional photographer was blinded by the flash light of his camera and subsequently realized he had a scotoma in his dominant eye. Three days after the event visual acuity (VA) was 20/70 and an acute light-induced maculopathy was noted. Another three days later, VA was 20/50 and the lesions were less prominent. After one month, the photographer still had problems making sharp pictures, VA was 20/25 and a macular scar was observed. During further follow-up, he regained full vision and experienced no professional problems.
Conclusions: This case illustrates that the light of flash photography can accidentally hit an eye and induce a light-induced maculopathy.
GMS Ophthalmology Cases; 1:Doc04; ISSN 2193-1496