American Academy of Ophthalmology Warning: Homemade 'Potato Guns' Causing Severe Eye Trauma

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SAN FRANCISCO, March 12, 1998 -- Severe eye injuries, sustained by children playing with a homemade firing device known as a potato gun, are described by Dr. Barker-Griffith, et al., in the March issue of Ophthalmology, the American Academy of Ophthalmology's peer-reviewed, scientific journal. The study highlights two alarming incidents of eye trauma.

In the first case study, a 14-year-old boy was brought into the emergency room after being shot in the eye by a potato gun at a friend's house. The child suffered severe, life-threatening trauma, including severing his right eye, skull fractures, and multiple nasal fractures. Bone fragments came within 1mm of damaging the left optic nerve. As a result of the injury, surgeons removed the boy's right eye.

The second case involves another 14-year-old boy who accidentally shot himself in the eye while looking down the barrel of a potato gun. The boy was wearing eye glasses which shattered upon impact. When he arrived at the hospital, he complained of blurred vision, pain, and light sensitivity. During surgery, doctors a cut on his upper left eye lid and a laceration on his cornea. The injury was repaired and sight returned to normal within three months.

Potato guns, which can shoot a potato 900 feet into the air and snap a 2x4 in half, can be built from everyday household items such as plastic tubing, a lawn mower engine, batteries, and hairspray. The directions for constructing these guns are readily accessible on the Internet, as well as instructions for accessories like tracking devices and silencers.

Although the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) claims that "such devices, in and of themselves, are not firearms," the American Academy of Ophthalmology believes that potato guns do pose a safety threat, and parents should be aware of their dangerous potential.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology is the largest national membership association of medical eye doctors. The mission of the American Academy of Ophthalmology is to achieve accessible, appropriate and affordable eye care for the public by serving the educational and professional needs of the ophthalmologist.