A case of retinal injury by a violet light-emitting diode

Akira Obana*, Ralf Brinkmann, Yuko Gohto, Kasumi Nishimura

*Corresponding author for this work

Abstract

Purpose: To describe the first case of retinal injury by a misuse of a toy using lightemitting diode. Methods : A 15-year-old male Japanese student received irradiation on his right eye by a 5 mW light-emitting diode of 410 nm wavelength for 20 seconds in 2 days. He noticed decreased vision and central scotoma approximately 2 weeks later from these events. The mechanism of injury was evaluated from the estimated irradiance on the retina by comparison with experimental threshold data published. Results: Chorioretinal atrophy with visual loss and central scotoma has remained on the fovea. The patient received an estimated dose of 1.58 J/cm2 2 times, which was close to the experimentally determined radiant exposure for photochemical injury of rat retina. Conclusion: The violet light from light-emitting diodes is a potential hazard for the retina, and thus, direct viewing into the beam should be avoided. Children, especially, should not be allowed to play with such toys without being carefully instructed about their proper use and fully supervised.

Original languageEnglish
JournalRetinal Cases and Brief Reports
Volume5
Issue number3
Pages (from-to)223-226
Number of pages4
ISSN1935-1089
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.06.2011

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