15/08/2017

The potential advantages and disadvantages of retail licensing schemes, advertising restrictions and restrictions on ownership to address concerns about an increase in incidents involving laser pointers are being considered by a Call for Evidence issued by the Dept for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

The increases have been recorded by a survey of UK ophthalmologists that reported more than 150 incidents of eye injuries, the vast majority involving children, since 2013. The  Civil Aviation Authority additionally reported an increase in incidents of laser pointers being directed into the cockpits of helicopters and planes on take-off and landing.

Under current regulations, only laser pointers that are considered safe for their intended use should be sold to consumers. However, there is evidence that these regulations are not always adhered to and there have been reported cases of high-powered lasers being sold – sometimes unwittingly – for general use.

Schemes requiring retailers or consumers to obtain a licence for a high powered laser pointer are already in operation in the USA and other countries and the government is interested in whether a similar scheme could be rolled out in the UK.

‘Laser pointers: call for evidence’ will allow the government to explore what more can be done to minimise the risks associated with lasers available to the public. Mislabelling of products, counterfeit products, imports of powerful devices from the Far East and cheap novelty products bought innocently on holiday can all put consumers, and particularly children, at risk.