Arc Welder's Maculopathy

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    • By Dhaivat Shah
      Sankara Nethralaya
      Co-author(s): Dr Anju Gupta (MBBS)
    • Uploaded on Jun 2, 2021.
    • Last modified by Caroline Bozell on Jun 3, 2021.
    Rating
    Appears in
    Imaging marvels
    Condition/keywords
    Welding arc maculopathy
    Photographer
    Choithram Netralaya
    Imaging device
    Optical coherence tomography system
    Zeiss
    Description
    Unlike arc-welding induced photokeratoconjuctivitis i.e. ‘arc’s eye’ known to most of the clinicians, macular injury is unusual to happen. It is a rare type of photic or UV retinopathy caused by exposure to electric arc welding light which emits wide spectrum of radiations ranging from UV to infrareds through penetrating into the retina. A 35-year-old male, a professional welder, presented with mild blurring of vision in both eyes. Fundus revealed dull foveal reflex (OU) with subtle foveal alterations surrounded by halo (right more prominent than left eye). He later revealed a history of infrequent use of protective glasses during work. OCT is a very sensitive test to establish diagnosis, which ellipsoid zone disturbance as a square shaped defect, keeping the RPE & ELM intact. Patient was explained guarded visual prognosis and was advised strictly to wear protective eye gears at work.

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