Laser pointer maculopathy presenting with macular neovascularization: A case report and review of literature

Laser instruments are widely used in various fields, leading to an increasing number of accidental eye injuries. Macular neovascularization (MNV) is a rare complication of laser pointer maculopathy. We report the case of a 16 year old boy with an unremarkable medical history who presented to our department with a three-week history of decreased vision in his left eye (LE). On examination, visual acuity (VA) was 20/25 in the right eye (RE) and 20/400 in the LE. Fundus examination revealed bilateral yellowish macular lesions. In the LE, the lesions exhibited a linear pattern and were associated with a subfoveal serous retinal detachment. Multimodal imaging confirmed the presence of MNV in the LE, linked to high energy laser exposure. The patient initially refused an intravitreal injection. On re examination eight days later, MNV had exudation increased, and VA had further worsened. A single intravitreal injection of bevacizumab was performed, with subsequent improvement of VA to 20/62 and resolution of exudative changes on OCT.