eye exposure to blue light ( ~ 500 nm )

Discussion in 'Eye-Care' started by seagate1556, Jun 11, 2007.

  1. seagate1556

    seagate1556 Guest

    I'm hoping for some knowledgable feedback on this.

    Suppose someone's eyes get beamed with blue light ( wavelengths around
    500 nm ) for 10 full seconds. The person didn't close his eyes but
    managed to slightly divert the direction of his stare. The light
    source was around 20 inches away and was extremely strong to his
    eyes.

    The following morning, he wakes up with a headache and pain on his
    right eye, both of which goes away in 1.5 weeks. It's been exactly a
    month since the incident and he feels his vision is fine.

    How likely is it that he suffered retinal/corneal damage from this?
    Any permanent damages? Is there an increased likelihood for macular
    degeneration, cataracts, etc. in the future from this event? Are
    exposures from blue light cumulative in eye damage?
     
    seagate1556, Jun 11, 2007
    #1
    1. Advertisements

  2. seagate1556

    p.clarkii Guest

    very unlikely. intense blue light is used during routine eye
    examinations to visualize fluorescein staining.
     
    p.clarkii, Jun 11, 2007
    #2
    1. Advertisements

  3. seagate1556

    seagate1556 Guest

    But this isn't the same blue light for eye exams. Operators are warned
    to shield their eyes for this one. Even a 1-2 second exposure to your
    eyes ( even if you're not directly looking into it ) does cause
    discomfort and even pain.

    And this person also had headaches and eye pain for more than a week.

    So even in this case, it's likely that the guy is alright and doesn't
    require any treatment? Will this be cumulative towards other adverse
    vision effects in the future? We're particularly worried about macular
    degeneration, cataracts, glaucomas, ......anything that can induce
    blindness now and into the future.

    Thank you in advance.
     
    seagate1556, Jun 11, 2007
    #3
  4. seagate1556

    seagate1556 Guest

    No. My intentions behind the inquiry are strictly medical.

    And by blue light, I don't mean an LED blue light. The blue light
    we're talking about polymerizes photo-initiator camphorquinone in the
    460-500 nm range. It's of industrial grade and operators are strictly
    warned of eye hazards. Even if there aren't any current symptoms from
    this incident, it's not easy for the laypeople to easily downplay,
    especially if they aren't experts.

    Feedback/input from eyecare professionals or knowledgable readers
    would be highly appreciated.
     
    seagate1556, Jun 11, 2007
    #4
  5. uv-A and even visible blue light are defintely linked to macular
    degeneration.
    you should absolutely be using eye protection if you are going to be
    exposed.
     
    michael toulch, Jun 11, 2007
    #5
  6. seagate1556

    Guest Guest

    Only a direct exam by a doctor will answer any of these questions. Is
    there a reason your friend would risk his eyesight on internet
    diagnoses?
     
    Guest, Jun 12, 2007
    #6
  7. seagate1556

    seagate1556 Guest

    The incident occurred in early May.

    So are you implying that his vision can worsen over time?
     
    seagate1556, Jun 12, 2007
    #7
  8. seagate1556

    seagate1556 Guest

    Would the exposure be as harmful as getting beamed by a laser
    pointer?

    And for this instance of blue light, is it going to be highly
    significant for macular degeneration in the future ( or near
    future ? ) ?
     
    seagate1556, Jun 12, 2007
    #8
  9. seagate1556

    Don W Guest

    I think he is implying your friend should see a doctor.

    Don W.
     
    Don W, Jun 12, 2007
    #9
  10. seagate1556

    Guest Guest



    DING! DING! DING! And why aren't other posters, especially so
    called eye docs suggesting this?
     
    Guest, Jun 13, 2007
    #10
  11. seagate1556

    Don W Guest

    There is one paper (Framme: "Noninvasive imaging and monitoring of
    the retinal epithelium patterns using fundus autofluorescense",
    Current Medical Imaging Reviews, 2005, (available on a Google
    search)) that mentions their use of blue light. Essentially this
    monitors the retinal response to blue light of 500 nm. The paper
    states the level of the light they use and says it follows the safety
    guidelines of the Laser Institute. Unfortunately, it is a pay for set
    of guidelines. They are at:

    http://www.laserinstitute.org/

    Good luck.

    Don W.
     
    Don W, Jun 14, 2007
    #11
    1. Advertisements

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments (here). After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.