Stupid Teenagers with lasers

Actually, education does makes a big difference... um... It's not the Video on the you tube that concerns me... it's the responds form people who saw them, alot of them react to the "light your smoke with laser" with "oh yes! I should get a laser to do that too!" or "If I have one, I will do the same thing"

I guess I can share my story here.

This was in 2007, I was using my 75mw 532nm Phoenix from WL as a flashlight because I had a piece of apple stuck in my teeth. I was being young and naive at the time...I know... Anyways, I was leaning over the counter so I could get close to the mirror to see. As I was moving around, my elbow slipped and the laser angled towards the mirror and hit my right eye. I wasn't even looking at the laser, at least I don't remember because it happened faster than I could think. But it burned a nice dot just below the center of my eye. I have to live with it every day now.

It was like looking at the sun and you get that grey spot for a bit. Well mine didn't go away. 1 hr later...still there. I figure I'll go to sleep and wake up and it'll be all gone. Nope. I went to the hospital the next day and had pictures taken. It left a nice burn spot. A few weeks later, the skin that was burned fell out of my eye and there is a hole in my eye now. There is no pain at all, not even at the time the laser hit it. But I can't see anything in the dot, it's just a grey hazy area that blurs the edges around it. So when I take a visual accuity test, I have to look above the letters and use my peripheral vision to read it. I would say I got VERY lucky with my accident seeing as how my entire right eye could have been blinded if the laser struck any longer or any other area of my eye.

I obviously don't have to preach laser safety to you guys but my story can teach some others. It doesn't take much with a laser! And god forbid you blind someone else. I couldn't imagine having to see this blind spot everyday because some idiot didn't know what the hell he was messing with.

Another story about stupidity - I was showing my laser to a girl I met on the beach. As I'm handing her the laser, I say "whatever you do, don't shine it at anybody, they can seriously go blind" And what is the first thing she does?...shine it at a group of people fishing. I didn't find her that attractive anymore haha

This is scarry.
at my school there's a kid who told me he is saving up for an arctic so he can shine it at people driving by on the road.

I hope he drops it.

lazerman121 said:

This is scarry.
at my school there's a kid who told me he is saving up for an arctic so he can shin it at people driving by on the road.

I hope he drops it.

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I hope his battery explodes (without hurting anyone)

@FNAL - Thank you for sharing.

I was hit in my left eye with a 60mW green laser a while back.

I was at a party, usual stuff going on, it was a nice condo with a great balcony, and as usual I did have a laser on me. I shined it around outside a bit, and inside but only at the ceiling almost directly above me.

One of my friends who I thought was quite responsible asked me to see it. I did warn him to be careful not to shine it anyone or anything shiny. Idiot took the laser and did shine it at the ceiling, and across the room at a wall. When I told him to stop he said ok, and basically plopped down on the couch while at the same time reaching out/pointing the laser at me. WITHOUT TURNING IT OFF. He swept the turned on laser across at least 3-4 people, and happened to only hit me. Fortunately no one else had an eye in the way.

I don't know whether it was a weak battery, angle, large beam, bad divergence, prescription glasses that I wear, or whatever else, but I don't have any permanent noticeable damage. That doesn't mean that there isn't any, just that maybe my brain compensated for whatever damage is there.

In terms of actually getting hit, my experience was very similar, closest comparison I can think of is when a bright camera flash goes off in a dark room. When I opened my eyes, I did see an after spot for quite a while, longer than ever before in my life, the only eerie and scary difference is that an after spot from a flash is usually pretty big, this one seemed tiny. I didn't feel any pain.

I was quite drunk that night, so when I got home I basically passed out asleep. When I woke up the blind spot was gone, thankfully.

It was a very scary experience, of my five senses, sight is by far the most important to me. I have been to an ophthalmologist since, and though my prescription changed a little, as it always does about once a year, there were no other detectable changes.

Since that time I've been very paranoid about handling lasers.

@FNAL & InfinitusEquitas - Thanks for sharing your stories. I think more people need to realize what actually happens to your sight after being hit with a laser. Good warning for anyone, seeing as you were both hit with lasers <80mW, about how dangerous even lower powered lasers can be. +1 rep:gj:

imo lasers above say, 15mw, should not be handled by anyone younger than 18. at 16 (when i got my wl 55mw) i thought i was responsible. looking back i was an idiot, i didn't have goggles, i wasn't careful/wary of reflections and i even brought my laser to school sometimes.

there were times where i would shine the laser at a mirror and let it reflect back towards me just so i could see the beam well. im sure had i not been lucky at some stage i could have been bumped or distracted and had that beam wack me right where you dont want it too.

on the school note. whenever i let anyone have a go of the laser i would warn them to not shine it at anyone or any vehicles. they always would.

i am grateful that no one was injured in any of that lasers sues but i see that there was defiantly a chance and im so glad there are no mistakes i have to live with now.

be careful guys, especially with these 1w cannons for less than what i payed for a 55mw green back then.

I don't know if this has been posted before, but i'll leave it here:

UGH, retards and more retards. I can't believe that video has not been removed... I mean what they are doing is 100% illegal. I'm tempted to track down this down, to forward to local PD but I know it would never go anywhere

Someone should track down these morons and give them a vicious and thourough beating.

I'd just like to mention that not all teens are irresponsible with lasers, although I am sorry to say that, at 16, I cannot trust my peers with even my 1mw pointer (and they will never even see my 1.1W one).

Let's look at the facts. Debit card/PayPal? Easy to get, I got my debit card + bank account at 14 (although I may be an exception to this and not the norm). Ordering something online? Just about every teen/adult I know has NO idea how dangerous lasers can be.

Then lets see what it is. Something that emits burning/visible light, that is (fairly) cheap, and offers so many ways to blind yourself (lol). I don't think I've met someone under 18 who wouldn't want one. The problem is, lasers are HIGHLY appealing to the least mature users.

Anyways, I guess I am a exception and not the norm, but after using my new SL 1.1W 445nm laser, I am scared of what it could do in the wrong hands. And I did a lot of reasearch, fully understand basic laser safety, and purchased goggles. This laser blew my mind, seeing how cheap and powerful it is... Before I even decided to purchase my newest laser, I decided to mentally "feel/evaluate" if I was ready for sonething this powerful, as I didn't want to hurt anyone.

If any law gets put in place, it should be one mandating that lasers are illegal to own or use by those under 16, or for those 16+, illegal unless they own goggles and passed a basic safety test and received a "laser license".

Oh dear, now I am just wandering off..

Tl;Dr: 16 years old, has 1.1W laser, mature enough to use it but scared s***less by the thought of idiot peers using class IIIb/IV lasers, not to mention ease of purchase.

Raiden Gekkou said:

I don't know if this has been posted before, but i'll leave it here:

(nashville green laser video)

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All the morons and dimwits show up downtown at night. I haven't been downtown but to pay the electric bill once a month. Used to be 2nd ave. was a fun little spot to hang out on a friday night. Now there's just a bunch of rednecks and wanna-be "gangsters." Heck, seems like someone gets shot there every weekend! Maybe soon all the idiots will kill themselves or each other.

Krogith said:

The more videos of the lighting cigarettes in your mouth with a Laser is going to Spread Very Fast. Every Person out there will see it as a party trick and as soon as it gets into more and more parties it will be the Thing that ruins our hobby. Drunk and Lighting cigarettes in your mouth with lasers is the DUMBEST thing you could ever do. It's just going to snow ball...*

It will slow the process down but we are coming to a regulated hobby soon and no one can stop the idiot that will be the "straw to break the camels back" and then "The Professional Idiots" Will write up laws that will make the hobby not even possible. Except a "illegal Underground" that is keeping it alive on the black market, we wont see many lasers and the ones we do will cost a arm and a leg.

* (No offense but as soon as the Gang Bangers find out "What" they could use a Laser for we will see a Crack Down for sure... It's just a matter of time now IMO.)

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Damn ..Im...really sorry to hear this is so bad .

I really wanted to do this with a laser one day..But I was more planning on being positioned perpendicular to the beam from a fixed tripod or table..not "shining it towards myself" Lol..

Maybe I wont do it afterall ^_^

I agree with you. My brother has a 5 mW one which wont do damage most likely unless held there, i told him not to shine it at ANYBODYS eyes, thats all he does with it. when i buy mine, itll stay in a safe place for sure