In Horsens, a high school party has resulted in unexpected consequences for the participating students. After an evening on the dance floor with intense use of UV light, at least 100 students from Horsens Gymnasium and HF are reporting serious eye pain, similar to the effects of being in a tanning bed with eyes open. The party’s UV lighting, intended to create a festive atmosphere, ended up causing burns on both the skin and in the eyes of the young students. Chief physician Maria Voss Kyhn from the eye department at Rigshospitalet compares the pain to what one experiences after spending too long in a tanning bed without adequate eye protection. “Students will experience discomfort in the eyes and possibly blurred vision for up to a week,” explains Maria Voss Kyhn. However, she reassures the concerned students and their parents that there is no risk of permanent eye damage, even though the experience is extremely uncomfortable. The similarity between the students’ symptoms and those that occur with snow blindness or welder’s flash is striking. These conditions typically arise under completely different circumstances, such as sunlight reflection in the snow or welding without eye protection. “It’s the first time I’ve seen something like this in high school students,” adds Voss Kyhn.
The company Firedisko, which supplied the lighting equipment for the party, has initiated an investigation into the light sources used to understand how this could have happened and to ensure that it does not repeat in the future. This incident has served as a reminder of the importance of ensuring correct use and safety precautions when using potentially harmful lighting at public events.