The Innocent Laser in Children’s Toys
We are all certainly fascinated by the light saber battles we see in Star Wars BUT … did you know that in recent years more and more children and young teens arrive at ophthalmology hospitals with vision problems caused by the projection of laser light into the eyes?
Laser toys are dangerous to the eye because they can cause various burns to the Macula in the center of the retina.
The UK Consultant Group of Ophthalmologists conducted a study to explore retinal burns caused by laser indicators in children. The results were not very pleasant:
- 159 injuries were reported in 12 months
- (85% male) – 80% of them under 20 years of age
- 35% of patients suffered moderate vision loss
- while 17% of patients suffered severe vision loss
People have easy access to these lasers without knowledge and with improper use of them, will lead to an increase in cases of visual dysfunction.
Red lasers with an output power of ≤5 mW can cause temporary loss of central vision and green lasers with an output power of ≤5 mW can disrupt the epithelial layer of the retinal pigment and lead to choroidal stroke (repeated exposure over the years will lead to risks of vision loss).
Want to know what can cause lasers with an output power> 20 mW?
What is the worst, case though?…Lack of knowledge about potential harmful effects. In most of the cases mentioned above, there was a delay in diagnosing children’s vision disorders because the parents did not associate the problems coming from the toys they bought themselves.
Sounds alarming doesn’t it? We just want it to sound interesting for you to know! For those of you who want to learn more about the fascinating world of lasers, we invite you to participate in the free workshop “The innocent laser in children’s toys – Digital Transmissions on Fiber Optics”.
More details can be found about this subject here.
