There has been a concerning rise in the incidence of eye and other injuries from gel blaster guns
It has been one of the must-have toys for Christmas: a gel-blaster gun. In many neighbourhoods, the rapid-fire rat-a-tat-tat of the gel blasters could be heard over the Christmas and New Year period. So much so that in December2024, the Commissioner of Police in Trinidad and Tobago Erla Harewood-Christopher issued a caution on misusing these gel blaster toy guns, stating that while gel blasters are marketed as toys, those resembling real firearms are prohibited. She warned that their misuse, particularly in public spaces, could result in criminal charges.
Meanwhile in the Paediatric Emergency Room, my colleagues and I were struck by the marked increase in serious eye injuries in children involving a gel blaster, needing referrals to the Eye Specialist team. That prompted me to do some more research, and to advocate for stronger warnings and education on the safe use of gel blasters.
Eye injury and trauma is a leading cause of preventable vision loss worldwide. More recently, gel blaster guns have been used to fire gel pellets made of polymer material that, when rehydrated with water, can expand to 6 to 8 mm diameter while becoming soft and pliable. However, when fired, these guns can shoot rehydrated gel pellets at speeds up to 350 feet per second in rapid succession. In contrast to paintballs or air gun pellets, shooting gel pellets has often been depicted as being relatively safe and harmless because of their soft texture, and the guns have frequently been marketed to children.
However there has been a concerning rise in incidence of blunt eye trauma from gel blaster guns reported internationally, prompting organisations like the American Academy of Opthalmology to put out a news alert about increases in paediatric eye injuries associated with toy guns like gel blasters in Sept 2023, highlighting that there was a lack of awareness in the public regarding the risks posed from inadvertent eye injury with these toy guns. The majority of the reported gel-blaster related injuries have occurred in young people aged between 12 and 22 years, suggesting that young people often lack a full understanding of the dangers and potential serious injuries associated with gel blasters. Additionally, they may not appreciate the importance of wearing protective gear or following safety guidelines, increasing the risk of accidents.
One particularly concerning paper by Rogerson in Opthalmology 2023 stated that “adequate safety warnings on these guns are largely absent and, when present, do not sufficiently reflect the risks posed by irresponsible handling of these weapons.” The authors concluded that there as a clear disconnect between the potential of these toy guns to cause significant eye trauma and the prevalence of safety warnings on their packaging.
I strongly believe that there is a need for consistent policy and enforcement here gel blaster guns are concerned. Firstly manufacturers of gel pellet guns need to be encouraged to include clear safety guidelines and warnings on their product packaging. These guidelines should emphasize the importance of wearing appropriate eye protection, safe shooting distances, and responsible handling. Secondly, gel pellet guns should have appropriate age restrictions in place to help ensure safety guidelines are followed.
There also needs to be better public education regarding the potentially blinding eye injuries that can result from the use of these toy guns, and I am hopeful that this blog article helps to educate and start the conversation about how we as parents can best protect our young people from toy gun related eye injuries. In the meantime, being adequately informed is key…have fun responsibly but do protect yourself and your children by ensuring safety measures like goggles, good adult supervision and safe shooting distances.
Be safe and well,
Paula
Dr Paula Robertson is a busy mom and a paediatrician with over twenty years' experience working with young people and their families. She is also a certified children's mindfulness teacher and Positive Discipline Parenting
coach. You can find out more at www.paulathedoctormom.com.
References:
Rogerson, Thomas et al. Ophthalmology, Volume 130, Issue 10, e35 : https://www.aaojournal.org/article/S0161-6420(23)00482-7/fulltext
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