Can A Baby Go Blind With Photo Flash? – Being Parents
From birth to arrival in the family, there are a thousand and one reasons to take photos with baby. And on family visits, everyone wants to pose by their side.
When taking the picture, we rarely think about turning the flash on or off . What would be wrong with that?
But how would you react if you were told that a camera flash could make your baby blind?
This is the news a Chinese family received when they took their child to hospital after he showed discomfort with his eyesight following a flash photoshoot. And of course, that alerted the media.
We could read that a three-month-old baby had remained blind in one eye and had serious vision problems in the other, after being photographed with the flash activated.
The dad would have liked to take a close-up of the baby with his phone, while forgetting to turn off the flash.
The baby would then have started to cry, his parents would have taken him to the hospital, where they were told of their child’s blindness, caused by the flash.
Which begs the question: Can a baby go blind from a camera flash ?
Contradictory theories
The Daily Mail assures that doctors at the hospital where the parents visited concluded that it was the powerful light from the flash that would have damaged the cells of the retina, the part of the eye where the rays of light are concentrated. to form the image.
However, some experts claim that the flash emitted by various electronic devices poses no risk to eyesight.
According to the experts consulted following this news item, “the phone flash could not have been the cause”. The baby already had vision problems which would have manifested itself at the time of the photo.
Dr. Alex Levin, interviewed by Yahoo Parenting, and head of the Department of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Genetics at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, said:
“ If this story were true, there would be more blind babies. We often perform operations on toddlers, in which a strong, sparkling light reaches the most sensitive parts of their eyes, for at least 30 minutes. However, it does not cause blindness in babies. The retina is designed to withstand strong attack and it is very unlikely that this type of light could be harmful to the eyesight. ”
Referring to the camera’s flashes, he also adds: “To attribute blindness to taking photographs is a mistake. There is no reason that the light from the flashes could cause this damage, because it is harmless. ”
Conversely, a laser beam is very dangerous for the eyesight, because it is very concentrated light.
As for the sun, explains the doctor, there is no risk except in case of prolonged observation; which babies rarely do, looking away or closing their eyes at the slightest light that is too bright.
Flash light don’t make babies go blind
In the blog Prevent Blindness, Dr Livia Romero, pediatric ophthalmologist and Coordinator of the Venezuelan Pediatric Ophthalmology Group, reveals:
In a forum of professional photographers, a second ophthalmologist also states:
“Flash light does not harm a baby’s eyes. A flash can generate a burst of light intensity of some 2000 lux.
Ophthalmoscopes with which we can see the retina of premature infants produce illumination levels about five times greater than a camera flash, and we can spend a few minutes observing the retina of the baby with this light without hurt him.
On the other hand, the light sources in the operating room of a pediatrician can emit around 25,000 lux, and that without causing any risk to the baby ”.
So don’t worry about whether the flash is on or not the next time you want to strafe your baby. The only thing you will be able to worry about is taking the best shot, to keep the memory of that perfect moment with baby.
