A comprehensive resource for safe and responsible laser use



Laser pointer safety studies


This webpage contains more detailed information about laser pointer safety. Click on the link to find summaries and links to the original sources.

Also, see our pages on laser/aviation hazard studies, which include research papers conducted by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.

  • 2002: Understanding levels of vision loss. This paper is useful in understanding that vision loss, such as from laser pointers, is not always total blindness as may be commonly assumed. There are various aspects and ranges. The paper makes recommendations on what ranges to use and the accommodations made for each range.





  • 2015:54 Retinal injuries from handheld lasers: An updated report. This is a follow-on to the 2013 Swedish Radiation Safety Authority study above. It reviews an additional 47 cases of laser pointer injury. In addition, a key objective of the study is to try and correlate the laser dosage with the injuries that were seen.

  • 2017: German literature review study that found 48 publications worldwide describing a total of 111 patients in whom both acute and permanent damage due to laser pointers was documented.

  • 2019: UK study of hazards to children looked at case studies, authors' cases and a survey of ophthalmologists to report on injuries to children, and especially those with behavioral, learning or mental health problems.