Parents of teenagers must keep up with the latest adolescent trends and laser pointers are one of the recent developments in teen pranks. Handheld laser pointers can be purchased for as little as $15.00 and a handful of teenage boys across the United States have been arrested for using the gadgets to distract helicopter pilots, airplane pilots and teachers. Laser pointers are available in several different colors and green lasers are the ones creating safety concerns.
Safety Concerns and Impaired Vision from Green Lasers
Advertised as being “60 times more powerful than a regular laser beam”, green laser pointers are the ones causing disturbances. Green lasers can project a beam for a distance of 6.2 miles, so the beam can reach the cockpit of an aircraft, especially a helicopter or airplane during take off and landing when one is shining the laser from the ground.
A strong beam of light, when shone into an aircraft cockpit at night can interfere with a pilot’s night vision and ability to monitor the instrument panel to safely navigate the craft. Several pilots have reported impaired vision in the forms of momentary blindness or flashes of spots after a laser beam has been projected into the cockpit.
Another concern reported on several websites is the discovery that some of the inexpensive green lasers are being manufactured without a filter for the infared light. Aiming an unfiltered infared light into the human eye can cause permanent damage to the retina. In June of 2010, the BBC News reported that a teenager was diagnosed with retinal damage after shining a green laser into his own eye.
Teen Pranks and Arrests for Laser Pointers in the News
Improper use of hand held laser beams, mostly by teenagers has raised safety concerns for aircraft pilots. Teen pranks with lasers have resulted in criminal charges against several teenage boys.
In January of 2011, two pilots in Naples, FL experienced impaired vision and were treated at a hospital for broken blood vessels in their eyes after a laser beam was aimed at the helicopter they were operating. Two teenage boys were arrested in the incident.
The Nashville airport was the target of laser pointer disturbance in March of 2011. A laser beam was pointed into three planes and one helicopter approaching the airport. All of the aircraft landed safety, but three teenage boys were arrested for felony reckless endangerment in the incident.
Teen pranks involving lasers continue to be reported around the globe. In September of 2011, a Baltimore teenager was charged with second degree assault, among other charges for shining a laser into the cockpit of a helicopter.
The Laser Institute of America issued a statement about the safety concerns of laser use by children: “By informing parents, teachers and society at large about the potential hazards laser pointers present, any risks posed by them can be minimized, and the devices can continue to be used properly and safely, as primarily intended.” In its statement, the Laser Institute makes it clear that lasers are not toys. Green lasers can cause impaired vision problems that create serious safety concerns for teenage boys and girls, pilots and others who may be targeted.
Kelly Pfeiffer - Kelly Pfeiffer teaches Positive Discipline workshops to parents and trains child care providers on various child development topics.
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