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Are laser pointers dangerous?
Home » Handheld Electronics » Laser Pointers » Are laser pointers dangerous?When used properly, laser pointers are completely harmless.
Commercial laser pointers are specifically designed to help speakers in presenting their lecture or business presentation. Created as a high-tech alternative to the retractable, metal pointer, the laser pointer beam will produce a small dot of light on whatever object at which it is aimed.
Pointers are also used for other purposes such as the aligning of other lasers, laying pipes in construction and as aiming devices for firearms.
When laser pointers are used for these things - the things they are made for - they are not dangerous. It is when children use them unsupervised as toys where problems arise.
Even though they are sometimes sold as them, laser pointers are not toys.
In 1996, a 16-year-old girl in Wisconsin found this out the hard way. Someone in her school was using their laser pointer as a toy and shined it in her eyes twice; once when she was performing a pom pom routine in an assembly and another when she was walking down a hallway in the school. The girl reported that after the first laser exposure, everything looked green and after the second, she temporarily lost vision in her right eye.
This is one of the most dramatic examples to date, but there have been numerous other reports - although less severe - throughout the U.S. and in the United Kingdom. In most cases, brief eye exposures to the lasers cause only brief effects. But it is not wise to shine a laser pointer on someone and take any chances.
The Laser Institute of America and the American Academy of Ophthalmology have both received reports of people exposed for longer amounts of time, including two verified retinal injuries caused by intentionally staring into pointers.
There are a few simple rules to follow when using a laser pointer:
• Never shine a laser pointer at anyone. Laser pointers are designed to illustrate inanimate objects.
• Do not allow minors to use a pointer unsupervised.
• Laser pointers are not toys.
• Do not point a laser pointer at mirror-like surfaces. A reflected beam can act like a direct beam on the eye.
• Be aware of irresponsible uses of pointers so the psychological effect will be minimized if you are illuminated by one.
• Do not purchase a laser pointer if it does not have a caution or danger sticker on it identifying its class. Report suspicious devices to the FDA.
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