This story in the Daily Mail talks of a case where a newborn baby lost its eyesight due to the camera flash.
Doctors said the three-month-old, who has not been named, has suffered irreparable damage from the flash of the camera, which was held about 10 inches away from the baby boy.
Is this possible, or is it a coincidence?
Snopes lists it as unproven.
http://m.snopes.com/camera-flash-blind-baby/
The Daily Mail pointed to the unreliable People’s Daily Online as the source of this information, who in turn sourced their story from Guangming Daily, who sourced their reporting from QQ.com, who cited DAHE.com, who got their information from Henan TV. At no point in this game of misinformation telephone did any of these sources provide specific details about the story, such as where the incident occurred, the names of the parents, the identities of the “experts” quoted, or the name of the hospital where the baby was treated.
Furthermore, none of the articles linked above provided any evidence (such as a quote from an ophthalmologist or other knowledgeable medical source) indicating that the baby’s alleged blindness was caused by a camera flash.
In fact, several reputable sources have stated that a camera flash is not harmful to a baby’s eyes. The Orange Regional Medical Center, for instance, encourages new parents to take photographs of their babies in the NICU:
https://www.yahoo.com/parenting/is-it-possible-to-blind-a-baby-with-a-camera-125356546417.html
Scary stuff, for sure, but highly unlikely, according to Dr. Alex Levin, chief of pediatric ophthalmology and ocular genetics at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia. “If this story were true, there would be lots of blind babies out there,” the ophthalmologist tells Yahoo Parenting, calling the events detailed “inconceivable.”
“We operate on young babies and shine a very bright light directly on the most sensitive parts of their eyes for up to 30 minutes at a time, and even that doesn’t cause blindness,” says Levin. “Retinas are made to last, and it’s highly unlikely that this kind of light would cause damage.”
It’s more likely, the doctor surmises, that the infant was already blind in that eye and physicians discovered his condition when they examined him. “To attribute the blindness to the taking of a photograph would be incorrect,” Levin insists. “There’s no way that a camera can cause such damage.” Flashes are diffused light, he explains, “so they’re harmless.”
The same rule applies to flashlights and even super-bright sunlight. Staring directly at the sun, on the other hand, isn’t a good idea as far as protecting your vision, “but babies won’t intentionally fix their gaze on the sun anyway,” he says.
Checking the credentials listed on yahoo news: http://www.willseye.org/doctors/alex-v-levin
Dr. Alex Levin
"Speciality: Pediatric Ophthalmology & Ocular Genetics"
"Director, Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Service"
