Laser bad press heats up

[ZapU]

Posted from AP today, made my local paper.
It's the follow up to the Body Odd post on MSNBC (already posted here), taken from the New England Journal of Medicine article.

"This is a legitimate public health menace," said Williams, a spokesman for the American Academy of Opthalmology. "Parents should be aware there are inappropriate lasers available over the Internet."

PUBLIC HEALTH MENACE. Here it comes, media plays it up, then politicians are next, saving us from ourselves. :yabbmad:

 

[Flaminpyro]

Wow I'm sorry to here this young lad will be dammaged for the rest of his life and others will end up paying for his stupidity also.
most higher power lasers come with some kind of warning and if he chose not to follow it or use safety glasses, well then.

 

[ElektroFreak]

This has got to be the NINTH thread I've seen on this (maybe not actually nine, but there are several).. enough's enough already people!! LOL!

 

[ZapU]

This has got to be the NINTH thread I've seen on this (maybe not actually nine, but there are several).. enough's enough already people!! LOL!

I searched.
I saw the Body Odd posts. What I didn't see posted was the AP picking it up and putting it in the major newspapers. The story is spreading.

 

[Mohrenberg]

I've not much to say on this. Although I noticed they said he "Accidentally zapped his eyes with it's green light SEVERAL times."

several times? really?

Dan Hewett stated the FDA rarely gets reports of incidents like this in America. This is most likely because the majority of people are not dumb enough to flash themselves "several" times with a 150mW green laser. It probably wasn't even IR filtered either.

This is why only adults should handle these lasers. I'm not saying that there aren't 15 year olds out there responsible enough to operate one, but the majority aren't.
although they may be old enough to know the dangers, they are also young and dumb enough to not care about it.

As for the British physician...maybe now he'll think twice about giving his 7 year old child a high powered laser pointer. I don't give my neice or nephew a laser because I know the first thing they would do is shine into either my eye, or their own.

 

[qumefox]

One day, he was playing with the pointer in front of a mirror to create a light show, and he accidentally zapped his eyes with its green light several times.

Ok. Somebody explain to me how it could 'accidentally' happen 'several times'? My guess is he was staring into the beam and KNOWS how (more) moronic he'd look if he admitted that.

The only good thing (well, for me I guess) is that it didn't happen in the US. But the aftermath will probably suck for laser enthusiasts in the EU.

I like this jem too.

and a British physician said his vision was affected for several months after he was zapped by his 7-year-old son.

Just wonder who it probably was that bought the high powered pointer in the first place? My guess it wasn't the 7 year old...

I'm not sure which is worse... people being stupid, or said stupid people wanting governments to take responsibility and save them from their own stupidity.

 

[Mohrenberg]

Ok. Somebody explain to me how it could 'accidentally' happen 'several times'? My guess is he was staring into the beam and KNOWS how (more) moronic he'd look if he admitted that.

The only good thing (well, for me I guess) is that it didn't happen in the US. But the aftermath will probably suck for laser enthusiasts in the EU.

Call me cold, but this kid did this to himself. It's called natural selection. Wait a couple more years until this 15 year old boy is playing with a gun.....

 

[qumefox]

Call me cold, but this kid did this to himself. It's called natural selection. Wait a couple more years until this 15 year old boy is playing with a gun.....

To not repeat myself, here's a link to a post of mine in another thread about this topic.

http://laserpointerforums.com/f45/greenies-can-burn-your-eyes-55419.html#post781501

 

[ZapU]

To not repeat myself, here's a link to a post of mine in another thread about this topic.

http://laserpointerforums.com/f45/greenies-can-burn-your-eyes-55419.html#post781501

No offense qumefox, I saw your thread. As I said earlier in this thread, just trying to point out that this story is spreading to the major media.

 

[Uranium]

lol europe.

Expect to say bye-bye to your lasers soon!

 

[qumefox]

No offense qumefox, I saw your thread. As I said earlier in this thread, just trying to point out that this story is spreading to the major media.

That's not my thread. Just the other one I commented in.

 

[NightRunner417]

What stands out to me is what some of you already cited - "during which the laser beam hit his eyes several times". Ok... We're talking about a beam of light, what, maybe 2mm in diameter, striking a target of what, again just a few mm in diameter. I've had a few stupid slips where I pegged myself by a specular reflection, but generally since it's a fine pitch beam and a fine pitch target, it's harder to take a direct hit than you'd think. It sounds by the "several" successful strikes and also that it was pure goofing around, like this kid did it deliberately in order to see what it was like, and then once he figured out the severity of the situation, first hid and then watered down the story to make himself seem like less of a reckless fool. I'm guessing he didn't know just how what he was into with that laser until it was too late, and I think it's very sad that he might have been inadequately informed before finding out the hard way.

High power diode lasers are not going to just disappear due to ignorant misuse any more than any other potentially dangerous tool, and trying to eliminate them really isn't workable, IMHO, nor will it make us smarter and better prepared to handle dangerous things when they're within our reach. I really think the energy should be put more into informing potential high power laser wielding kids of the dangers involved rather than yet another "powers that be" move to take yet another "maybe unsafe" thing indiscriminiantly out of the hands of the people, irresponsible and responsible alike. I now own two high power lasers - one a Class IIIb and one a Class IV, both pocket sized and very portable, and I know I can use them safely for myself and those around me. I'd be pretty disappointed if I had to hide them as if they were illegal street drugs just because some stupid kid got reckless and did harm to himself or someone else.

I also have a feeling that this particular "problem" is just beginning.

NR

 

[ElektroFreak]

Posted from AP today, made my local paper.
It's the follow up to the Body Odd post on MSNBC (already posted here), taken from the New England Journal of Medicine article.

"This is a legitimate public health menace," said Williams, a spokesman for the American Academy of Opthalmology. "Parents should be aware there are inappropriate lasers available over the Internet."

PUBLIC HEALTH MENACE. Here it comes, media plays it up, then politicians are next, saving us from ourselves. :yabbmad:

Yeah but it's nothing new really. People are freaking out a little around here, but this story isn't the beginning of the end for the hobby. This isn't even close to the first time laser pointers have been in the media, but I'm pretty sure that they're barely a blip on the politician's radar. Dirt cheap high-powered handhelds have been around for several years now..

If you're from the US, the politicians have ALREADY decided to save us from ourselves with regard to lasers. 99.9% of all laser pointers that are dangerous in the US are already illegal. How would one make them "more illegal"? Their use in public is also illegal.. it's the enforcement that's somewhat lacking and I don't really see that changing any time soon. Enforcement is not non-existant though. Shine a laser at a few airplanes or helicopters and see if you don't end up with a bit of unwanted attention.

 

[00Giorge]

Maybe they should make it so you have to be 21 to buy a laser or take an common sense test. But then it would be like getting beer, when I was 14 I never had any problems getting it, someone would always buy it for me. I also know someone that is 35 and I don't think I would trust him with a laser. Hell, I don't think he can walk and chew gum at the same time. I know he can't progam his auto sprinklers.

Lets face it there are a lot of stupid people out there and you just can't fix stupid.

 

[Moptsp]

I mom just told me about this story today from where a relative read it in the paper of something. I was like, "hmm, I'm going to go check the lpf and see whats all up because I know it will be there." And here it is. I feel bad for the boy. It seems to have been stupidity, but his parents should have been more in contact with what he was doing. Or better yet not allowing him to have a laser without first knowing his responsibility. To bad his consequence will be a though life time...

Anything over 5mw is not a pointer, or intended to be used as one, period.

 

[millirad]

Nothing will come of it. It's the more "random" legislation that takes place when the legislature is "bored" that causes the bureaucratic mess. Every so often they decide to change laws in the name of "progress"..............
Oh, hi Mr. Hewitt, didn't notice you had logged in. ;-)