Baby Left Blind In One Eye After Photographer Took Photo With Phone Camera Flash On

A baby is left blind in one eye after a family friend forgot to turn off the flash while taking a close-up photograph.

Doctors said the three-month-old baby from China, 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.

According to People’s Daily Online, the parents noticed that there was something wrong with their baby’s vision soon after the photograph was taken.

Following the incident, the baby suffered from reduced vision in his left eye and blindness in his right eye.

Doctors said the damage is said to be permanent and cannot be fixed with surgery because the strong flash has damaged cells on the macula, which is the part of the eye where incoming light rays are focused. 

Damage to the macula can lead to the loss of central vision, which allows people to see straight ahead.

The macula is not fully developed until children are four, meaning youngsters are very sensitive to strong light. 

Experts have explained that while babies will shut their eyes when exposed to light on reflex, just milliseconds of strong light can cause permanent damage.

They added that parents should be careful of strong bathroom lights when their babies are taking a bath.

It is not clear whether the family friend will face any legal action following the incident.

Don’t worry. You can still take photos of young ones but heed a few reminders. 

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Australia’s Department of Health reminded the public that taking a photo without the help of a flash is still the best way to photograph a baby.

“While it probably does not cause much harm, if any, there are ways of taking photographs which do not need a flash, and these would be the safest way of taking photos,” it stated.

But if you really need to use the camera flash, make sure you are at least a meter away from your young subject.

For Jamie Espadilla, who is a baby photographer, it is important to be careful when taking photos of little ones.

“I prefer shooting using natural lighting or ambient lighting because baby’s eyes are very sensitive to bright light,” she said.

Source: DM