Not Harmless Toys: Paintball Guns Are More Dangerous Than Previously Thought
Twelve of the 20 patients with eye injuries that the study looked at required surgery. Paintball guns are more likely to result in severe eye damage than previously believed, according to a recent study. After analyzing data on paintball gun attacks over a two-year period, researchers from the University of Chicago Medicine found that more patients than expected experienced vision-threatening emergencies after being hit in the eye, with some suffering an eyeball rupture or even going permanently blind. According to senior author Shivam Amin, MD, a second-year resident in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science at the University of Chicago Medicine, "Many of these patients had disastrous consequences, such as irreparable vision loss." "Paintball guns may be seen by some as innocuous toys, but when used without adult supervision, they may be quite dangerous, especially when used as assault weapons and targeted at the head." The study, which was just release...