Don’t play with lasers

We have seen a growing number of stories in the media about people having their sight damaged by careless use of strong laser pens and even pilots being temporarily blinded from the ground.

The sale of lasers are highly regulated in the UK but it is still possible to buy them online, bring them back from abroad or even make your own from easily accessible household goods.

We would advise people not to treat these lasers as toys.

They are particularly dangerous as a hole can be burnt into the retina in seconds causing irreparable damage.

In medical research and health we use lasers as part of treatments but this is within a highly regulated, safe environment and only in the hands of experts.