Although numerous eye injuries have been caused by exposure to laser beams, a small study by a U.S. Air Force physician found that pilots who were exposed “at altitude, outside of critical phases of flight,” were unlikely to suffer serious lasting harm to their eyes.1
Laser beams “pose a hazard to the eye and numerous injuries have been documented,” said the report on the study, conducted by Kevin C. Dietrich and published in the November issue of Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance, the journal of the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA). “However, there lies a misunderstanding in the propensity to damage aircrews’ eyes during an exposure.”
The report characterized the possibility of laser beam exposure during cruise flight as a “distraction and not a threat.”
The document added, “Laser exposure is more apt to disrupt flight and not directly injure aircrew vision while flying at altitude.”
The report noted that intermediate- a…
