To describe acute bilateral angle-closure glaucoma with ciliochoroidal effusions in a patient who had recently used an at-home red light therapy mask.
Approach:
Case: Researchers reported the presentation, examination findings, treatment, and follow-up of a 43-year-old patient with no previously diagnosed medical or ocular conditions.
Assessment: The patient had recently begun using a red light therapy mask and had not used eye protection. The authors considered secondary angle closure from ciliochoroidal effusions and anterior ciliary-body rotation the most consistent explanation.
Key Findings:
At presentation, visual acuity was counting fingers in the right eye and 20/400 in the left; intraocular pressure was 60–65 mmHg in both eyes.
Ultrasound biomicroscopy showed bilateral anterior ciliochoroidal effusions. Treatment included pressure-lowering medications, cyclopentolate, corticosteroids, and discontinuation of mask use.
Effusions progressively resolved, and visual acuity returned to 20/20 in both eyes by 2 months.
The authors noted prior evidence that repeated low-level red-light therapy can affect choroidal thickness, vessel volume, and perfusion, but the mechanism behind the effusions remains unknown.
Interpretation:
The authors considered recent red light therapy a plausible contributor because it was the only identified recent lifestyle change, but they could not establish causality.
Limitations:
This was a single-patient report.
The authors found no previous reports directly linking at-home red light therapy mask use with choroidal effusions.
Whether reported effects of red light on choroidal vascularity explain the observed effusions is uncertain.
Conclusion:
The authors stated that further investigation is needed to characterize the ocular safety profile of red light therapy devices.
