Laser pointers: toys, nuisances, or significant eye hazards?

Background: Laser pointers have been used inappropriately to harass and "dazzle" victims. Reports of retinal damage caused by pointers have also been circulated in the popular press.

Methods: Information on pointer abuse was collected from the literature and through discussions with specialists.

Results: Few, if any, documented cases of permanent retinal damage caused by laser pointers could be found. For actual damage to occur, viewing, times need to exceed approximately 10 seconds. Exposures of this duration would require the person being lased to cooperate by holding fixation on the laser beam.

Conclusions: Although the risk of permanent retinal damage from a laser-pointer beam is minimal, other risks include dazzle, annoyance, and concern that a weapon-aiming device rather than a pointer is generating the laser beam.