Laser Pointer Warnings

Teachers and professionals giving presentations often use laser pointers, and many are easily accessible to children. Though common laser pointers are not bright enough to cause life-threatening injuries, damage--sometimes permanent--to the eyes remains a possibility. The federal Food and Drug Administration has warned that laser pointers should not be used as toys or given to unsupervised children.

Known Problems

• Pointing a laser pointer in someone's eye can cause temporary problems such as glare, flash blindness and after-image. Glare is partial or total loss of sight in the center of a person's field of vision. Flash blindness is temporary loss of sight immediately following exposure to bright light. After-image produces spots in one's field of vision, a condition that can last several days. It's possible for the laser to damage the retina, causing more lasting problems.

FDA and Other Warnings

• The FDA warns that laser pointers should be used only as the manufacturer intended. Researchers reported in the "British Medical Journal" that permanent eye damage from laser pointers could cause visual loss in later years.

Laser Pointer Safety

• Laser pointers should never be pointed at a person or a reflective surface, and people should never look directly into a laser pointer. Children should be allowed to use laser pointers only when supervised by an adult, and the devices should be secured when not in use so children won't pick them up.