Effects

Eye Damage or Blindness from Laser Hair Removal

If you have ever wondered why you have been required to wear protective eye wear in your laser hair removal treatments, it is precisely because of the potential risk for eye injury. The truth is that extreme precautions need to be taken when it comes to the safety of your eyes during your laser hair removal treatment; otherwise, you risk damage or blindness.

Of course, these are very rare cases, but it still pays to be vigilant about your eye protection during your treatment. First of all, make sure that your eyes are covered with small protective goggles if you are treating any area on your face. These should be black out goggles, and they work to protect the entire eye area if the laser is anywhere near your face. Examples include a lip treatment, side burn treatment, full face treatment, or hairline laser treatment.

If you are treating other areas of your body, you are still required to wear larger protective goggles at all times. These are bigger safety goggles that you can see through, but they seal around your eye area, and they keep it completely protected. Pay attention to the instructions from your laser hair removal technician, and make sure that you do not remove or shift your goggles until you are instructed to do so. It is important that the laser be off completely before you remove your eye wear, as directed by your laser hair removal technician.

When it comes to treating smaller areas on your face, it is recommended that you do not treat anywhere around your eye socket, marked by the orbital bone. The reason for this is that the laser can shoot at an angle, and your actual eye socket is much larger than it looks within your skull. This is the precise reason that laser hair removal companies cannot treat the eyebrow area, even though many people would love to have their excess eyebrow hair permanently removed. If you treat areas like this close to the orbital bone, you have the potential to hit the eye socket with the laser, causing severe damage to the eye.

The best way to prevent any side effects of blindness or eye damage is by adhering to all laser hair removal safety guidelines. There are also specific sets of eye wear for each laser wavelength, and if you are working with a laser hair removal center that you can trust, then they will follow these strict standards. For this specific reason, the patient and the technician must both wear protective eye wear at all times. The reason that this is highly significant is because the laser can reflect off of mirrored surfaces. This can be anything from the back of a cell phone, a ring, or a metal table leg. To take your safety precautions even further to protect your eyes, make sure that you remove all large pieces of jewelry, do not use your cell phone or iPod, and check that all mirrors are removed from the laser room. This will prevent any reflective injuries caused by a laser misfire that could potentially damage the eye. For this reason, eye safety is one of the largest concerns when it comes to laser hair removal. Make sure that your eye wear fits well, and that it is sealed completely around your eye area. Again, the damage that could be caused to the eye area could come from even indirect laser contact, so it is important to wear all protective eye-wear, remove any reflective surfaces from the room, and not treat any areas of the face that are close to the eye socket. In extreme cases where laser hair removal safety has not been practiced, there have been instances of blindness or damage to the white area of the eye, causing an unsightly appearance.

Eye damage caused by laser hair removal is a permanent and harmful side effect, but it is also incredibly rare. This side effect is not something to be afraid of, but it is important to be aware of how very important all safety measures are those are being taken within your laser treatment. If you simply adhere to all of the guidelines given to you in laser hair removal, then you will have absolutely nothing to worry about. Blindness is a very infrequent and uncommon side effect, but this type of injury can cause permanent damage to the eyes if the proper precautions are not taken. If you have any questions or concerns, talk in detail with your laser hair removal technician so that you can feel comfortable within your treatment.