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Green laser pointers can cause functional damage ‘within seconds’
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A commercially available green laser pointer can cause visible harm to the retina at exposure times as low as 60 seconds, according to researchers at the Mayo Clinic.
Dennis Robertson, MD, and colleagues directed a Class 3A green laser pointer at the retina of a patient’s eye; the eye was scheduled for removal because of ring melanoma. The patient’s vision was 20/20 and the macular retina appeared healthy, according to a Mayo Clinic press release. The retina was exposed to light from the green laser with an average power measured at less than 5 mW: 60 seconds to the fovea, 5 minutes to a site 5° below the fovea and 15 minutes to a site 5° above the fovea.
When the patient was re-examined 24 hours later, retinal damage was observed beneath the fovea and at the site of the 15-minute exposure. Each site developed a “grainy texture” within 6 days, the Mayo Clinic release said.
Dr. Robertson said he has previously studied red laser pointers and found them to be “quite safe.”
“With the use of [green] laser pointers that are more powerful than 5 mW, there would likely be damage to the actual vision,” he said. “Functional damage could occur within seconds.”