Shock Leaves Man With Star-Shaped Cataracts
Star shaped cataracts left an electrician legally blind. (New England Journal of Medicine)
Yes, you can have stars in your eyes. Unfortunately. That's the lesson one electrician learned the hard way.
The unidentified man, 42, developed star-shaped cataracts after being shocked by 14,000 volts of electricity on his shoulder.
According to a case report in the New England Journal of Medicine, four weeks after being shocked the man sought medical help when his eyesight started to deteriorate. He was able to regain his sight after doctors performed cataract surgery. But a few years later his retina detached in his left eye, leaving that eye nearly incapacitated.
While the cataracts were fixable, further deterioration in his vision left him legally blind although he was able to read by using visual aids.
In an earlier study on another man who spontaneously developed star-shaped cataracts, doctors theorized that "shock-waves" caused the unusual pattern.