2010 November 14 at 10:44 by Carol Botha

Most informative. Thanks Auke. What seemed like a daunting task, has become a mere formality. I have emailed all the details of my no-name, no model, no serial number laser to a very friendly guy at the other end. I hope my application for licence succeeds.

2011 January 14 at 03:02 by Thys

n Nuwe tendensie wat nou opgang maak is die gebruik van hierdie lasers vir nag fotografie en/of jag doeleindes waar die gebruikers diere vir 'n kortstondige tydperk verblind...

2011 February 02 at 02:57 by Johan Uys

I recently received the following reply from a user:

"Not a member - never have been - but studied astronomy at Unisa in mid-1980s

PS - surely your department realise this is completely absurd

Last time I purchased one of these (which was then misplaced) - I purchased from a web site overseas, device was delivered, etc through customs without any requirement for this

All I was doing was trying to do the "right thing" by rather supporting a local business - and your department is adding lots of superfluous red tape to the process

Maybe I should just revert back to international supplier - was certainly a LOT quicker - maybe slightly more expensive (but my time is expensive and you guys are consuming my time"

2011 March 02 at 01:26 by Chris

See Beeld Article http://www.beeld.com/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/Laser-gevaar-in-die-lugruim-20110228

For those who consider this a trivial issue, consider the consequences of a large aircraft full of innocent people crashing into a packed soccer stadium because of the malicious behaviour of one idiot with a laser pointer. Or, even more probable, how would you yourself like to crash your car as a result of being dazzled by some irresponsible idiot? Would you enjoy being sued for reparation, because in play your child damaged someone's eyesight and the courts ruled it to be aggravated assault with intent to do greivous bodily harm? Would you like to be walking around with a white stick, unable to hold gainful employment, because you were blinded? These are all real possibilities. Not so funny, is it?

By noting that the purpose of green lasers is to point out stars, the focus of attention unfairly falls on astronomers. That is indeed one reasonable application among several. However, people who purchase lasers for astronomical purposes tend to have very high regard for preserving eyesight (especially night vision), as visual astronomy places great demands on visual acuity. They therefore tend to understand the risks and behave quite responsibly in this regard.

Underlying the real danger to society is the fact that the vast majority of laser pointer buyers only purchase them for novelty value - purely because they are readily available. Worse, the competitive spirit of one-upmanship drives people to get the most powerful instruments they can lay their hands on, increasing their danger without actually providing any benefit. Then, not having an actual purpose for the instrument, they turn to mischief once the initial novelty has worn off. Since it can be difficult to track down a culprit, they are emboldened to misbehave - be they either ignorant or wilfully dismissive of the possible disastrous consequences.

Lasers are not toys. They provide significant benefits to society in certain applications, but misuse can be extremely dangerous. Parents need to recognise this, and keep them out of the hands of children. Proper policing of import and distribution, according to the legal framework already in place, would certainly assist in controlling indiscriminate availability. But just as drug dealers exist because there is a market for their products, unscrupulous importers and flea market vendors will continue to supply illicit lasers as long as people are buying. The police cannot be expected to deal with this any better than they can control drug sales.

It is imperative for society as a whole to behave sensibly in this regard. Improved public knowledge of the dangers would go a long way to driving responsible usage - as would prosecution of miscreants. If you see someone behaving irresponsibly with a laser, it is in your own interests to intervene - and you have a moral duty to do so.

2011 May 28 at 02:07 by Herman

I purchased a green laser at the fleamarket for R200. I dont know if it is .1mW or 200 Watt. It has no serial number or country of origin on it. I use this laser for astonomical purposes only. After reading the artical in Beeld, I mounted the laser on a trypod and shine it on a building 5km away. It formed a "spot" 2 meters in diameter. I could only observe it went there was movement at the laser. It was very faint. Now the question is, how can this laser blind a pilot and bring down a plane? I think if I could look into this laser at that point, it would look like a litle green Jupiter. I know at close range the laser is harmfull to the eyes and never let my chidren play with it. So how do I register my "fleamarket what so ever green laser" ?

PS. It use 3 small button batteries so I think it is NOT 200 watt

2011 November 18 at 03:00 by Johan Uys

Culprits direct laser beams at aircraft that are taking off or approaching for landing. These lasers can induce temporary flash blindness. This sudden (temporary)loss of vision can be disoreintating and the startling effect could be a problem for the pilot during this critical time of flight. Some laser pointers can now produce power levels of a few hundred milliwatts. Obviously, the hazard increases proportionally as the power increases.

You are correct, the laser beam would only be hazardous at close range. For a laser of a few tens of milliwatts the occular hazard distance would be around 100 m going up to a few hundred meters for a 300 mW laser depending on a few variables.

Yes, it would be interesting (Nobel Prize - Physics achievement) to get 200 W from this device.

PS. In this regard, the chinese will sell and mark (or unmark) any device and they don't care about safety.