Police using Green Laser to temporary blind people :)

[Benm]

Lawsuits seem very likely indeed. I someone used one on me and i could prove the exposure was above MPE i'd readily sue. Even if there is no acute damage to your vision, there always is some potential for problems to develop later on.

Also, someone being assaulted with this type of weapon could easily claim to be seeing spots for weeks, even if there is no visible damage to the retina. I'm not sure how the american legal system deals with such cases, but i suppose its possible to sue for damages even if they are difficult to prove medically.

 

[StridAst]

on the topic of eye conditions making you more susceptible to damage. An old co-worker of mine has a blind spot in one of his eyes from a laser. It was a normal over the counter laser pointer from back in the early 90s. Probably wouldn't have done anything. Except he has type 1 diabetes and the usual diabetic retinopathy that accompanies it. For some odd reason he doesn't like lasers much. at all. Go figure. Given that diabetic retinopathy effects 80% of all diabetics who have had the disease for 10 years or more, what do you suppose the odds are of someone taking permanent damage from a dazer before too long? I would wager a fair amount of cash that nobody in the "safety study" had a preexisting eye condition like this.

 

[00Giorge]

I have a friend that at the age of 22 he was legally blind due to diabetes.
I wonder what that beam is going to do to someone that has macular degeneration as well as the diabetic retinopathy? I really don't think that they did a very good study. They really need to do more research, not everyone has perfect vision. Imagine a guy with the thick coke bottle bottom glasses getting hit by the beam, they would be like magnifing glasses, multiply the beam and fry his eyes out! Makes me wonder about contacts if that would make any difference?

They say that it can't do any damage after 1 or repeated dazings (my ass)

I think they need to do more research before they put it out! :beer:

 

[X FLY]

...Makes me wonder about contacts if that would make any difference?...

If the light was intense enough it could burn the contacts to your eyes. Thats why someone should never weld with contacts for example.

 

[Benm]

Glasses and contacts are used to correct the optical path, so someone wearing the proper prescription would be just as susceptible as someone with normal vision that doesnt wear glasses or contacts.

If someone i supposed to wear glasses but does not, it would make him somewhat less susceptible to low-power damage since the light would not be focussed as tightly onto the retina. This can be good as long as power is low, since the exposure yields a lower mW/mm2 exposure, but it can be bad at higher power since a larger area is exposed.

Pre-existing medical conditions should most certainly be considered with these weapons: you can't tell if someone is suffering from some eye condition, or has a pacemaker (in case of a taser etc). Safety studies would always be done on heatly volunteers as you cannot reasonably perform tests that are likely to harm the subjects. For military applications this is very reasonable since most combattants are in good shape, but for the general population it is a very risky assumption.

 

[00Giorge]

If the light was intense enough it could burn the contacts to your eyes. Thats why someone should never weld with contacts for example.

I have been welding since 1974 and have accidentally left my contacts in a couple of times, never had any problems, I have also had flash burn several times just not with my contacts.

Glasses and contacts are used to correct the optical path, so someone wearing the proper prescription would be just as susceptible as someone with normal vision that doesnt wear glasses or contacts.

If someone i supposed to wear glasses but does not, it would make him somewhat less susceptible to low-power damage since the light would not be focussed as tightly onto the retina. This can be good as long as power is low, since the exposure yields a lower mW/mm2 exposure, but it can be bad at higher power since a larger area is exposed.

Pre-existing medical conditions should most certainly be considered with these weapons: you can't tell if someone is suffering from some eye condition, or has a pacemaker (in case of a taser etc). Safety studies would always be done on heatly volunteers as you cannot reasonably perform tests that are likely to harm the subjects. For military applications this is very reasonable since most combattants are in good shape, but for the general population it is a very risky assumption.

Wouldn't strong glasses increase the laser power like a magnafiing glass?
No matter how bad your eyes are you still get the same amount of light unless you have cataracts. I was thinks that bifocals would increase the power, maybe not, just thinking about it.

 

[StridAst]

Wouldn't strong glasses increase the laser power like a magnafiing glass?
No matter how bad your eyes are you still get the same amount of light unless you have cataracts. I was thinks that bifocals would increase the power, maybe not, just thinking about it.

The purpose of the lens in your eye is to focus incoming light to a point on your retina. If your eye doesn't focus properly (nearsighted or farsighted) corrective lenses will simply adjust the focal point back to your retina where it should be. End result of hitting someone in the eyes wearing glasses is identical to hitting someone with 20/20 vision (assuming the prescription is correct) Excepting only that some light will reflect off the glasses so there will be a small loss of energy hitting the retina.

On the other hand, someone who is in need of glasses or contacts but is NOT wearing them will avoid a direct focused hit to the retina as the laser won't be focused as tightly. This isn't to say that it won't damage, nor is it to say it won't dazzle someone. Just the energy will be spread out over a larger piece of retina. At lower powers I would assume this would mitigate the damage somewhat. but at higher powers, or in the event of preexisting eye conditions it would simply make for a wider area of damage.

 

[00Giorge]

The purpose of the lens in your eye is to focus incoming light to a point on your retina. If your eye doesn't focus properly (nearsighted or farsighted) corrective lenses will simply adjust the focal point back to your retina where it should be. End result of hitting someone in the eyes wearing glasses is identical to hitting someone with 20/20 vision (assuming the prescription is correct) Excepting only that some light will reflect off the glasses so there will be a small loss of energy hitting the retina.

On the other hand, someone who is in need of glasses or contacts but is NOT wearing them will avoid a direct focused hit to the retina as the laser won't be focused as tightly. This isn't to say that it won't damage, nor is it to say it won't dazzle someone. Just the energy will be spread out over a larger piece of retina. At lower powers I would assume this would mitigate the damage somewhat. but at higher powers, or in the event of preexisting eye conditions it would simply make for a wider area of damage.

Got it! I kinda thought that, but I questioned myself.

 

[Psychopatic]

No way that should be aloud in Sweden! They have just now forbidden to wear stronger lasers outside. Here in Sweden, the police is not even alowed to have tazers. There have been incidents when people have shine with a green laser upon an aicraft, thats rubricates as heavy aircraftsabotage, and can give years in prison!

 

[inuboi8]

if police use flashing bright lights to disorient people isn't there a huge risk of bystanders who are epileptics will suffer from moderate to severe migraines, seizures

 

[Psychopatic]

if police use flashing bright lights to disorient people isn't there a huge risk of bystanders who are epileptics will suffer from moderate to severe migraines, seizures

Of course it is!

I eat an antiepileptical medicine (clonazepam), for 8 years now (but I don't have epilepsy). If I skip it for 2-3 days I got seizures and anxiesty. I have it for my anxiesty, but it's not easy to quit from it. If I skip for some days a common light-bulb will be irritating. Migraines have I not experienced yet.