A Baby in China becomes blind after a family friend takes his picture
https://daily-geeks.blogspot.com/2015/10/a-baby-in-china-becomes-blind-after.html
A 3-month-old baby boy was left blind after a family friend forgot to turn off the flash of her camera.
The baby’s parents noticed that there was something wrong with his vision soon after the picture was taken, The People’s Daily reports.
The camera, which was held about 10 inches away from the boy, left and irreparable damage to the baby boy's eyes. The damage is said to be permanent and cannot be fixed with a surgery.
The strong flash has damaged cells on the macula, which is the part of the eye where incoming light rays are focused.
Damage to the macula can lead to the loss of central vision, which allows people to see straight ahead.
The macula is not fully developed until children are four, meaning youngsters are very sensitive to strong light.
Not just the flashes, doctors warn that very bright lights in general can lead to vision damage in kids younger than four.
"Everyone knows that babies have sensitive skin, but they're sensitive in many other ways as well. It's a good idea to protect them from exposure to anything extreme, including very loud noises and very bright lights. Given how bright the flash on our phones and cameras can be, it's best to keep them several feet (or about one meter) away when taking pictures of small babies, just to be safe," Dr. Christopher Asandra clarified.
It is unknown at present whether the family friend who took the photograph which caused the damage to the baby’s eyes will be facing any legal action.
If you're visiting a newborn soon, or have recently become a parent, make sure that cell phone flashes are turned off.
The baby’s parents noticed that there was something wrong with his vision soon after the picture was taken, The People’s Daily reports.
The camera, which was held about 10 inches away from the boy, left and irreparable damage to the baby boy's eyes. The damage is said to be permanent and cannot be fixed with a surgery.
The strong flash has damaged cells on the macula, which is the part of the eye where incoming light rays are focused.
Damage to the macula can lead to the loss of central vision, which allows people to see straight ahead.
The macula is not fully developed until children are four, meaning youngsters are very sensitive to strong light.
Not just the flashes, doctors warn that very bright lights in general can lead to vision damage in kids younger than four.
"Everyone knows that babies have sensitive skin, but they're sensitive in many other ways as well. It's a good idea to protect them from exposure to anything extreme, including very loud noises and very bright lights. Given how bright the flash on our phones and cameras can be, it's best to keep them several feet (or about one meter) away when taking pictures of small babies, just to be safe," Dr. Christopher Asandra clarified.
It is unknown at present whether the family friend who took the photograph which caused the damage to the baby’s eyes will be facing any legal action.
If you're visiting a newborn soon, or have recently become a parent, make sure that cell phone flashes are turned off.