# Laser cutting machine-induced maculopathy and spontaneous recovery

## TL;DR

A gold refinery worker developed macular damage from a laser cutting machine but recovered vision over four months.

## Contribution

Reports a case of laser-induced maculopathy and its spontaneous recovery in a young worker.

## Key findings

- Laser exposure caused focal macular damage with outer retinal disruptions.
- Visual acuity and retinal abnormalities improved spontaneously within four months.
- No long-term visual impairment was observed despite initial injury.

## Abstract

The thermal effects of laser cutting machines could damage the macula. A few
studies in the literature have described macular injury induced by industrial
laser burns. The aim of this study was to report the clinical, visual, and
optical coherence tomography findings in a gold refinery worker with
laser-induced maculopathy. A 21-year-old male gold refinery worker had vision
loss in his right eye after using a laser cutting machine without wearing laser
eye protection gear. At the first visit (24 h later), his best-corrected visual
acuity was 7/10 in the right eye and 10/10 in the left eye. The anterior segment
examination was normal. In fundus examination, focal, round, and yellowish
lesion was detected within the fovea. The optical coherence tomography findings
were foveal outer retinal disruptions and irregularities extending from the
outer plexiform layer to the retina pigment epithelium. After 4 months, the
best-corrected visual acuity had improved to 1.0, and the optical coherence
tomography findings had resolved.