Massage gun use on eyes linked to retinal tears in Scottish case
Doctors in Edinburgh treated a man in his 20s after he used a percussive massage gun on and around his eyes for months.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
3 min read
A man in Scotland suffered serious retinal injuries after using a percussive massage gun on and around his eyes, according to a case report in BMJ Case Reports. The case underscores a clear medical warning: devices meant for muscles can cause severe harm when applied to the eyeball.
The patient, described as a man in his 20s, went to an eye treatment center in Edinburgh after six days of worsening floaters and flashing lights in his right eye, doctors Niamh O’Connell and Ashraf Khan reported. He told clinicians he had not recently injured his head or eyes and had no family history of eye disease that would explain the symptoms.
According to the report, the man had mild myopia and wore glasses, but otherwise had no usual eye problems. A detailed examination showed injuries in both eyes, including damage that doctors more often associate with significant blunt trauma.
Doctors found extensive retinal damage
In the right eye, O’Connell and Khan reported multiple retinal tears, broad retinal bruising and retinal dialysis, a type of retinal break near the front of the eye. In the left eye, they found wider bruising and six full-thickness retinal tears.
Those findings led the doctors to ask again about anything unusual that might have happened to the patient’s eyes. The man then said he had been using a percussive massage gun with a small bullet-shaped attachment directly on and around both eyes, according to the case report.
The doctors wrote that he had used the device weekly for three months in an attempt to relieve eye fatigue. They described him as reluctant to give the full history at first, and said he had no reported history of psychiatric illness or drug use.
Vibration therapy can injure the eye
O’Connell and Khan noted that percussive massage therapy may help some soft tissues, including muscles, by promoting relaxation, blood flow and pain relief. They said the same mechanical force can be dangerous to the eye.
The doctors concluded that the massage gun probably caused the patient’s injuries. They wrote that rapid compression of the eyeball can force it backward and outward at the sides, a mechanism thought to contribute to retinal dialysis.
The pattern in this case was unusual, according to the report. The retinal dialysis appeared in the lower outer part of the eye, while blunt eye trauma more commonly produces that injury in the upper outer area, the doctors said.
After diagnosing the damage, clinicians used laser treatment to repair the retinal tears and seal the break, according to BMJ Case Reports. At a six-month follow-up, the patient’s condition had not worsened and his vision had been preserved.
The doctors said the injuries carried a high risk of progressing to vision loss. They attributed the favorable outcome to the patient seeking care soon after symptoms appeared and to the quick start of treatment.
This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.