Young Boy Loses 75% of Eyesight Due to Small Toy at Home: Fact Check

Story:

Young Boy Loses 75% of Eyesight Because of Small Toy You Probably Have at Home.

Other Versions

1. Little Boy Will Lose 75% of His Eyesight Because of Small Toy You Probably Have in Your House.

2. Burn Injury to the Eyes: One Little Boy Lost his Sight because of this Toy that You probably Have at Home (PHOTO).

3. A child loses 75% of vision because of a toy that almost everyone at home.

4. The boy lost 75 percent of his vision after shining the laser in his eyes.

Picture of Laser Toy Pen — Laser Toy Pen

Fact Check:

Various stories shared heavily over internet warn people that a young boy lost 75 percent of his vision because of a small toy that you probably have at home – a Laser Pen shined into his Eyes. Some versions of the story also come with a picture claiming to show the affected boy with reddish eyes and cheeks (also ears and lips). The claims are facts with some information missing about the incident, also the relevancy of the picture of boy.

Boy Loses Eyesight Due to Small Toy at Home?

In late 2015, a 14-year-old Tasmanian teenage boy got hold of a Laser Pen and unfortunately shined it in his eyes for a very brief period of time, causing him vision problems later. Photographs of the boy’s eyes taken afterwards have shown laser burns to each of his Retinas, at the back of the eye near an area called Macula. It is the region where your detailed central vision takes place. Hobart optometrist Ben Armitage who studied the case said that the boy’s natural vision is down to about 25 percent, and unfortunately, it is unlikely to recover. He also said that once the swelling inside the eye reduces, it can help restore some vision.

Picture of Macula of Eye — Macula of Eye

About the Warnings

Post the aforementioned incident, Optometrists have warned parents not to consider laser pointers or pens as toys. Before Christmas 2015, Optometry Tasmania has also warned the same. The Chief executive officer Geoff Squibb explained that the boy’s example shows the high intensity of these lasers can cause serious damage to vision. He also mentioned that if children are given access to these laser pens parents must supervise them very, very carefully, and it’s better off to avoid them.

About the Picture

The picture that comes with some versions of the story is suggested as showing the Tasmanian boy whose vision was affected by a shining laser. No, that is not a fact. The picture of boy actually shows a case of Trachoma, also called Granular Conjunctivitis, with symptoms of eye swelling, redness and high temperatures. The original photograph of the Egyptian boy shown in second picture below is actually edited and the ‘redness’ on his face is enhanced.