Chronology Current Month Current Thread Current Date
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] [Date Index] [Thread Index] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Prev] [Date Next]

Re: Laser Pointer Danger?

Herb,
You don't mean to imply that looking at the sun causes no permanent damage
do you?

I do have it on good authority, however, that snow blindness causes only
temporary damage to the eye. Of course if it happens in the wrong place,
like on top of a remote mountain the side effects can be fatal.

On Sat, 24 Jan 1998 10:55:18 -0500 said:
On Sat, 24 Jan 1998 19:21:42 +1300 (NZDT) kevin murphy
<kdmurphy@voyager.co.nz> writes:
Further to Herb's query I have written to Tony Leverton of the
Department of Consumer Affairs, from whom the report emanated.
I will let you know if I receive an informative reply.

The report in the Dominion dd 17 January 1998 referred to Consumer
Affairs Ministry trading manager Tony Leverton "calling on retailers and

importers to voluntarily import and sell only low-powered laser pointers
after
incidents have left people temporarily blind or with eye damage."

******************************************************************
I shall be looking forward the reply from Tony Leverton. Hopefully it
will indicate whether or not the "temporary blindness" was similar to the
after-effects that we receive for a short time after looking directly
into the sun or any other bright light for that matter. the problem is
that some people will interpret "temporary blindness" to mean that it
requires the use of a seeing eye dog for a few days or weeks until the
person recovers.

Also, unless the the extent of the specific eye damage is stated and
verified by experts, the term "eye damage" is open to wide
interpretations. For example, there is the joke about an elderly man
who reported that he COULDN'T READ after being exposed to the beam of a
low-power laser pointer. When questioned further, the man confessed that
he had never learned how to read.

Herb Gottlieb from New York City
(Where people CAN READ after being exposed to the beam of a low-power
laser pointer)