Man in his 20s suffers retinal tears after using massage gun on his eyes

Clinicians from Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion have cautioned against improper use of massage guns following their treatment of a patient who experienced retinal tears after using the device on his eyes.

Writing in BMJ Case Reports, the authors shared that a student in his 20s presented with a six-day history of floaters and occasional flashing lights in his right eye.

While his visual acuity was 6/6 in both eyes, an indented scleral examination revealed retinal bruising in both eyes.

In his right eye, he had multiple retinal tears and superior temporal retinal dialysis. In the patient’s left eye, clinicians found six small horseshoe tears.

Further questioning revealed that the patient had been using a percussive massage gun around and directly on his eyes to relieve tiredness.

The patient told clinicians that he had been using the massage gun in this manner for several minutes at a time on a weekly basis for the past three months.

He reported being unaware of any warnings in the massage gun operating instructions against ocular use.

Both eyes were successfully treated with retinal laser, with barrier laser used to treat the right superior temporal retinal dialysis.

The clinicians highlighted that massage guns are growing in popularity, but there is limited public awareness of the risks of improper use.

“This rare presentation highlights the potential for significant retinal injury. It also underscores the need for cautious massage gun use, careful history taking in unexpected clinical scenarios and clear manufacturer warnings against improper application,” the authors shared.