Sir,
Retractable dog leashes are commonly used around the world. We report a case of ocular trauma secondary to one such leash.
Case report
A 56-year-old woman was walking her greyhound restrained by a retractable dog leash at full length. The dog's attention was attracted by cars on a nearby road and he pulled forcefully at the leash. This caused a ring on the dog collar (attaching the leash to the collar via a metallic clip) to break, resulting in a recoil of the clip into the left eye with significant blunt trauma. Visual acuity at presentation was 6/60 in the left eye. Examination showed left phacodonesis, zonular rupture, vitreous prolapse into the anterior chamber, traumatic iridial dialysis, and cataract. Fundoscopy and optical coherence tomography revealed a full-thickness macular hole without vitreous separation (Figures 1 and 2). This required a phacolensectomy, vitrectomy, internal limiting membrane peel, and posterior chamber gas (C2F6) to treat. A secondary anterior chamber implant will be inserted in the future.
Figure 1.
Left ‘red free' fundal photograph demonstrating the circular outline of a full-thickness macular hole (arrow).
Figure 2.
(a) Optical coherence tomography (OCT) of the right eye showing the normal foveal contour (arrow). (b) OCT of the left eye showing the full-thickness macular hole (arrow).
Comment
Ocular injuries secondary to usage of elasticated cords have been previously reported with good public awareness.1, 2, 3 Although retractable dog leashes are widely used because of their convenience, awareness about their ocular hazards remains low. Recently a US manufacturer had to withdraw its retractable dog leashes after a recoil injury caused partial blindness in a 13-year-old girl.4 Subsequently manufacturers have advised securing the dog leash with a secondary security collar.5 Although this may appear to be an inconvenient second step, the benefits far outweigh the risk of permanent sight loss. It is also important to choose a type of leash that is adjusted to the size, weight, and force of the animal. When using leashes without the secondary security collar, eye protection is strongly recommended.
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
References
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