ABSTRACT
The adverse effects of visual interference—including distraction, disruption, and visual incapacitation—are considered by knowledgeable safety experts to be much more of a concern than potential eye injuries. Statistically, there is a far greater likelihood of visual interference that could lead to an incident or an accident, than of a pilot receiving a serious eye injury. In situations sometimes faced by first responders, such as having to go after a criminal or having to rescue a person, a laser-exposed pilot should continue the mission if possible and should not worry about retinal injury. As long as the pilot can take reasonable steps such as not looking into the beam, and turning the aircraft away from the source, the first responder should be able to continue the critical part of their mission. There are a number of reasons why pilots have not had documented permanent or serious eye injuries, even when Class 4 lasers have been deliberately directed at them.
