Ocular Injuries Secondary to Alexandrite Laser- Assisted Hair Removal

Abstract

Purpose : To describe the clinical manifestations and outcome of three patients who sustained eye injury during Alexandrite laser assisted hair removal.

Methods : A retrospective case series of 3 patients. Data were collected on ophthalmic examination, spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA).

Results : Three female patients sustained injury due to Alexandrite laser hair removal. One patient presented with acute anterior uveitis while the other two patients presented with foveal intraretinal hemorrhage and subfoveal choroidal neovascularization, respectively. Visual acuity at last follow up ranged from 20/15 to 20/20.

Conclusions : Laser-assisted hair removal may lead to various forms of ocular injuries if used improperly. Ophthalmologists should be aware of the ocular damage caused by these laser devices.

This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.

 

Figure 1: (A) Fundus photograph of the right eye at presentation showing intraretinal hemorrhage in the foveal region. (B) Spectral domain optical coherence tomograpghy (SD-OCT) showing hyperreflective lesion affecting mainly the ganglion and inner plexiform layers. (C) Right eye fundus photograph at 3 weeks showing complete resolution of the hemorrhage with a dull foveal reflex. (D) SD-OCT at 6 months showing intact retinal layers.

 

Figure 2: (A) Left eye fundus photograph at presentation showing a localized subfoveal hemorrhage associated with subretinal fluid. (B) Spectral domain optical coherence tomograpghy (SD-OCT) at presentation showing a subfoveal hyperreflective lesion along with adjacent hyporeflectivity. (C, D) Left eye fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) showing early hyperfluorescence with leakage in the late phase suggestive of a choroidal neovascular membrane. (E) Fundus photograph one month after intravitreal bevacizumab injection showing complete resolution of the blood and subretinal fluid with small retinal pigment epithelium detachment. (F) SD-OCT depicting a small pigment epithelial detachment.