By Patrick Murphy and Greg Makhov

As the costs of consumer lasers drop, and as beam powers increase, there is growing concern over misuse of pointers and of more powerful hand-held lasers. Pilots and others harassed by lasers are often worried about potential injuries to their eyes. Fortunately, it is more difficult than the general public might think, for a consumer laser to cause eye damage.

Take for example a police helicopter pilot hovering at an altitude of 500 feet. She is suddenly “lased” by a blue flash that lights up the windscreen. She directs ground forces to the location, where the perpetrator is arrested — but now she is worried. When she reads up on lasers, she finds that the most powerful consumer blue laser has a “Nominal Ocular Hazard Distance” of 733 feet. She may interpret this as meaning that being closer than 733 feet will cause instant blindness. Fortunately, this is not at all true, for two main reasons: Continue reading →