Bobby van Jaarsveld and his son, Leben. (Photo: Instagram)
A freak accident with a laser toy that caused the singer and actor Bobby van Jaarsveld’s son, Leben, to almost lose the sight in one of his eyes, has now, as it were, opened others’ eyes to the danger these toys pose.
On Wednesday, Van Jaarsveld shared details about the accident on his Facebook page and advised parents to be careful with these toys.
“Never again do we want to experience this. My son Leben lost 90% of his sight as a result of an innocent laser that was shone in his eye. We prayed and begged and trusted like this a long time ago, because we were told he was going to lose his eye,” Bobby wrote.
“I cannot describe the feeling a parent experiences when they hear this. Thank the Father we came to the right doctor. The doctor said it was a miracle, because few people’s eyes can be saved after something like this. So we praise God for this! Parents… break those lasers.”
Lorna van der Merwe, an optician at The View Optometrist in Elarduspark, Pretoria, agrees that Leben’s case is a “miracle”.
“I think children should not have lasers, because they are a dangerous toy,” says Van der Merwe.
She further explains that the fovea, the center of the retina as well as the part that the eye uses to focus, is the part that is burned by the laser.
“That part is as big as the head of a hair pin. If you shine a concentrated laser on that part, it burns and then you lose your central vision,” says Van der Merwe.
“If your fovea is burned, the damage is done. The retina does not form new epithelial cells, so if there is a spot that is burned, then it is usually a done deal.”
She further says that the retina can also burn if one stares directly at the sun, but that the eye can be blinked quickly enough to prevent the burning. With a laser beam, this is not the case. The beam is so concentrated that you cannot blink your eyes fast enough to block it.
Lorna van der Merwe. (Photo: Provided)
“By placing a paper outside and letting the sun shine on the paper through a magnifying glass, you can do an experiment to visualize for yourself how a laser can burn your retina.
“Children shine it innocently in each other’s eyes and in animals’ eyes, but it is extremely dangerous,” warns Van der Merwe.
She points out some characteristics of laser toys that parents can look out for that indicate whether they are safe or dangerous.
“The color of the laser beam indicates how dangerous it is. The red laser is the safest, followed by green and blue, and purple is the strongest beam. The laser must emit less than one milliwatt (mW) of power. However, this is not always indicated, so look at the color of the laser and see if it makes a beam. If you shine it against a wall and there is a visible beam between the laser and the wall, it is unsafe. It must only make a dot against the wall.”
The laser’s batteries are also a good indicator. If it contains flat batteries, such as a watch battery, it is safe. However, if it contains lithium batteries, it is unsafe. The laser beam can also be shone for a while on a paper or on a balloon to test it. If the paper burns or the balloon bursts, it is unsafe.”