Laser pointer: The BfS warns of eye damage

Preventable risk of eye damage in children Source: Krakenimages.com/Stock.adobe.com

Laser pointers are not toys but rather sources of strong optical radiation. If used improperly or during play, they can cause considerable eye damage. Children and adolescents are often affected. So if you’re still thinking about a gift just before Christmas, you should consider other alternatives. A current research project commissioned by the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) also shows that laser pointers are not suitable for children.

The evaluation of laser incidents from 25 eye clinics showed that in 18% of cases, the affected persons were younger than 14 years; in 14% of cases, those affected were between 14 and 17 years of age. Most of the patients were male. This is according to the final report "Glare attacks and eye damage caused by lasers and other strong optical radiation sources", which was published on 16 December.

Laser radiation can damage photoreceptors

The devices are usually advertised as optical pointing aids. They emit focused beams of visible radiation (wavelengths in the region of 400–780 nm). The laser beam is not scattered to any great extent and is maintained over long distances. The highly focused laser beam passes through the cornea and lens and is focused even more on the retina. A great deal of energy thus strikes a relatively small area. The photoreceptor cells can be damaged or destroyed.

The incorrect labelling of laser pointers increases the risk

Products with an output significantly higher than that permitted in Germany are often offered on the Internet. Market surveillance authorities regularly find laser pointers that are declared incorrectly or which are not declared at all. In the research project "Measurement and evaluation of optical radiation sources relevant for the general population", 10 different laser pointers were examined. According to the measurements, three out of 10 belonged to the second highest laser class 3B but were wrongly assigned to lower laser classes or not declared at all.

Class 3B laser pointers are prohibited on the German market. The fact that laser pointers are not always correctly classified is an additional risk. Such lasers can be more dangerous to the eyes than their labelling suggests.

The BfS thus makes the following recommendations:

• Anyone working with laser pointers should handle them responsibly.
• Do not point the laser beam at others or look directly into it yourself.
• Laser pointers should be kept out of reach of children.