Laser toys pose risk to children’s vision
The Food and Drug Administration is issuing new safety recommendations for laser toys to protect children and their vision.
Many a kid (and parent) who has seen Luke Skywalker battle Darth Vader with a lightsaber thinks lasers are cool.
What they may not know is this: When operated unsafely, or without certain controls, the highly-concentrated light from lasers—even those in toys—can be dangerous, causing serious eye injuries and even blindness. And not just to the person using a laser, but to anyone within range of the laser beam.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is particularly concerned about this potential danger to children and those around them, and has issued a guidance document on the safety of toy laser products.
According to Dan Hewett, health promotion officer at FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, “A beam shone directly into a person’s eye can injure it in an instant, especially if the laser is a powerful one.”
However, laser injuries usually don’t hurt, and vision can deteriorate slowly over time. Eye injuries caused by laser light may go unnoticed, for days and even weeks, and could be permanent, he says.
Some examples of laser toys are:
- lasers mounted on toy guns that can be used for “aiming;”
- spinning tops that project laser beams while they spin;
- hand-held lasers used during play as “lightsabers;” and
- lasers intended for entertainment that create optical effects in an open room.
Dr. Laura Nennig with Eyecare Associates of Lees Summit, Missouri notes that “the laser toys with outputs above certain levels if not operated properly can injure the vision of those using them. They can also injury individuals within range of the laser beam.”
Dr. Nennig also recommends that parents keep up to date on their children’s eye exams. Recommendations are generally for an exam once a year for school age children.
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