oz – stock.adobe.com
A New York teen lost vision in his left eye moments after powering up a “defectively designed,” Chinese-made laser pointer he purchased on Amazon, according to a lawsuit against the retail behemoth.
The 16-year-old’s life-altering injury happened as the boy turned on the Cofeymera brand “High Power Blue Pointer” and it “inadvertently” passed across his eye, burning his retina, according to his dad Fred Mamoun’s Manhattan Federal Court lawsuit.
Amazon knew the $62.99 device was “defectively designed, manufactured, fabricated, tested, labeled, inspected, marketed, distributed, monitored, promoted, and sold,” the family said in the lawsuit.
Mamoun’s son underwent surgery to try to repair his retina after the May 2022 incident, but his condition continues to deteriorate, his father said in court papers.
“There’s no testing done on these products from China,” attorney David Jaroslawicz told The Post.
“The consumer assumes that they’re buying it directly from Amazon, which gives credibility to these merchants selling goods from China,” Jaroslawicz added. “And now this 16-year-old’s lost vision in his eye.”
The suit seeks unspecified monetary damages against Amazon.
Amazon did not comment on the lawsuit.