The greater the power output of a laser pointer, the more likely it is to cause serious eye injury, burn skin, and temporarily or permanently damage the vision of a pilot, driver, or bystander. That much is clear.
But judging the safety of a laser pointer in your drawer or your child’s hand is complex. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates laser equipment. Regulations require most laser products to be labeled with warnings about radiation and other hazards and to disclose the output power of the laser. But this information is sometimes missing; even when provided, more is needed.
“Consumers are in a tough spot,” said Daniel Hewett, a health promotion officer at the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. The agency is responsible for enforcing this rule for radiation products.
When the power is increased above 5 milliwatts, the safe exposure time is reduced, and permanent damage to the eyes and skin can quickly occur. However, the laser pointer’s output power could be more transparent to the user. Laser Pointers often need the required labels or are mislabeled, and the final testing of individual pens is beyond the average consumer’s reach.
The FDA does provide advice to help consumers identify which laser products may be dangerous and how to use the devices safely. As products and toys containing lasers become more common, the agency prioritizes laser safety awareness.
According to a 2013 study published in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, researchers concluded that the widespread popularity of these devices, often marketed as toys, may contribute to a sharp increase in eye injuries.
The potential dangers of laser Pointers were back in the news in June 2018 after a Greek boy shone a laser pointer into his own eye, causing permanent damage to his vision.
If a laser with an output of less than 5 milliwatts is aimed at someone’s eye, that person can blink or turn away without causing eye damage. However, the eye’s natural protective mechanisms, such as the blink reflex, are ineffective against lasers with an output power greater than 5 milliwatts, and severe retinal damage can occur even after a brief exposure.
Here’s what the FDA recommends:
Never aim or shine a laser pointer at anyone.
Don’t buy your child a laser pointer.
Before buying a laser pointer, make sure it has the following information on the label:
A declaration of compliance with Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations;
The name of the manufacturer or distributor and the date of manufacture;
Warnings to avoid exposure to laser radiation and
Class name, from Class I to Class Ia. Class iii, b, and IV products should be used only by appropriately trained individuals and in applications with a legitimate need for these high-power products.
The problem, Hewett said, is that these products sometimes need labels or are labeled accurately. He said about 60 percent of the sampled laser pointer products tested by the FDA were too effective compared to what was said on the label. These Pointers may have a power of 10 milliwatts or 100 milliwatts.
He also says some labels must be more specific to have value. “We’ve seen ‘less than 1,000 milliwatts,'” he said. “Consumers may not know what that means.”
Is your laser pointer too powerful?
Ideally, consumers can buy laser Pointers with less than 5 milliwatts of power. Amazon is trying to make it harder to sell mislabeled lasers by requiring all Pointers on its website to be backed up by a compliance test report. Hewitt said that as far as he knows, Amazon is the only company that has taken this step.
The FDA says if your laser pointer is not labeled, or if you don’t trust the label, consider the following:
If the pointer is small and a button battery is used, its output may be less than 5 milliwatts.
Suppose it’s the size of a pen and uses an AA or AAA battery. In that case, it’s likely more powerful, possibly more than 5 milliwatts.
If it’s the size of a flashlight and powered by a set of AA or AAA batteries or lithium batteries, it could be more than 5 milliwatts.
Pointers sold with battery chargers can drain the battery quickly and be overpowered.
Some Pointers have a removable cover that spreads the beam into a pattern. If used without a cap, the beam becomes a beam of more than 5 milliwatts.
Look for keywords that sellers might use to indicate that a pointer is a high power rather than saying it’s over 5 milliwatts: powerful, bright, super, super, military, military-grade, super bright, high power, super bright, intense, balloon pop, burn, burn, adjustable focus, lithium battery, lithium powered.
Look for videos or photos showing lasers burning, melting, balloons popping, or bright, precise beams of light.
Look for reviews of brightness or power on the website.
Why are blue and purple lasers more dangerous?
The FDA also explained why blue and violet lasers are hazardous: The human eye is less sensitive to blue and violet light. So, while the victim will react quickly to a red or green laser, to an equally powerful blue or purple light, the person may not blink or turn around quickly, creating a greater likelihood of injury.
After witnessing a rise in the incidence of these laser-induced eye injuries, and to better illustrate the dangers of these products, researchers in Saudi Arabia documented the case histories of 14 young men, ages 11 to 30, who sought treatment for these injuries between January 2012 and January 2013.
Each of the 14 patients in the study had an eye injury. Four of the patients developed whole-layer macular holes, which are breaks in the part of the eye responsible for detailed central vision.
Other macular injuries documented in the study included bleeding in different retinal layers, macular folds (when cells proliferate on the retina’s surface, resulting in vision impairment), retinal destruction, and retinal cavities. Vision improved spontaneously in only four eyes (29%), while 10 eyes (71%) required intervention, including vitrectomy (surgery in which vitreous gel in the eye is removed and the blood and scar tissue that accompanies abnormal blood vessels in the eye is removed using an operating microscope and tiny surgical instruments).
“High-power handheld laser devices may contribute to an epidemic of eye injuries that require varying degrees of concern,” write the study authors from the Collaborative Retina Research Group at the King Khalid Specialist Eye Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “The difference between these new high-power laser devices and low-power indicators cannot be overemphasized, and government action such as banning the import of these high-power handheld laser devices, laws against attack or malicious intent, and general public awareness campaigns may be warranted.”
