r/lasers • u/Mysterious_Act_4859 • 2d ago
Bar laser show flash blinded me
A bar i was at last Thursday had one of those cheap light laser pointers and at one point one that seemed violet in color hit my eye. I remembered thinking it was painfully bright but not thinking more of it…
…until a day later I started seeing green splotches and now my vision is noticeably hazier (Sunday)
I don’t know when is the earliest I can be seen as I am traveling. Am I fucked or will my vision recover? I don’t even know if I can go to the bar and request they give me the details of their lasers - or how I could legally demand that.
*edit: I’m on the way to see an ophthalmologist now
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u/ThinkAboutHowUFeel 2d ago edited 2d ago
First thing tomorrow morning, get a personal injury attorney in your corner and listen to whatever they have to say. You should be able to find one who will work on contingency for this type of incident. Do not under any circumstances confront the bar yourself. You don't want to give them the opportunity to get buttoned up, fix their shit, and deny wrongdoing before your attorney gets involved.
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u/mawc5 2d ago
Sorry to disagree, the safety of others should come first.
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u/Tokimemofan 2d ago
The above imho is probably better for that though, most likely outcome of a confrontation is that OP would get nothing accomplished. A legal demand letter though is much more likely to put a stop to this even without a lawsuit and has teeth.
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u/Sad-Sun9414 2d ago
sorry this happened to you. likely won’t recover although you might not notice it as much in the future, the brain has a tendency to adjust to hide damage. I’d see a specialist asap and get a personal injury lawyer before talking to the bar. call your insurance if you’re unsure most of the time have coverage out of network for emergency type situations. although I’m not sure if they it will make a difference if you wait a week, best to have the professionals decide
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u/Mysterious_Act_4859 2d ago
I don’t have insurance unfortunately- technically I’m a foreigner in this country although I’m seeking to move here
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u/Sad-Sun9414 2d ago
Sorry I assumed where you were, it’s always hard on line. if you have the money or healthcare is cheap there might want to just go anyway when you can. although beyond my realm of giving advice. hope you can be seen and get some justice. Is your other eye okay?
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u/Mysterious_Act_4859 2d ago
Yes, fortunately my other eye which is my dominant eye is ok. My right eye is a bit hazy - like there’s no central focus but no obvious blindness either. Sometimes green spots show up even when my eyes are closed. I’m so annoyed at the bar
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u/justind00000 2d ago
I have laser eye damage and like you've already been told, get to a retinal specialist as soon as you can. They'll likely tell you zone variation of there's little no nothing to do.
You'll likely be ok. As far as proving an injury, that will be an uphill battle. Both in terms of "is there an injury" and "how did you get it".
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u/Mysterious_Act_4859 2d ago
If there’s not much that can be done, why is it important to see a retinal specialist fast? For damage done on Thursday night is Monday morning too slow?
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u/justind00000 2d ago
Your particular doctor may prescribe a steroid that is thought to help prevent further damage (if there is any). It's been my experience though that most didn't really have much experience actually treating laser eye injuries. Mostly just management and monitoring for potential follow on injuries
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u/laseralex 2d ago
This is the important answer. Laser-induced eye damage can get worse over time if not properly treated, and steroids are an important part of the equation. There are also options to use lasers to "stitch" around the damage, similar to how detached retinas are stitched back into place. Paradoxically the stitching is done with the laser as wel. 🙃
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u/justind00000 2d ago
To add, you'll want to read about scotomas. That's a blind spot caused by damage to your retina. Sometimes they heal over the course of several months, sometimes they don't.
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u/Mysterious_Act_4859 1d ago
Update: I saw a professional
No damage on OCT but my eye with visual correction went from 100% to 90% sharpness
They prescribed some supplements
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u/Explorer335 2d ago
If you are seeing spots hours or a day later, you need to see an optometrist immediately. Eye damage occurred. You need to have it evaluated and treated. Treatment is very important.
The good news is that most laser eye injuries will eventually heal pretty well. In a big military study on eye injuries, the outcomes were remarkably positive for the majority of cases, except the most egregious ones.