Related Experiment Videos
Another weapon too far: the anti-personnel laser
1Birmingham & Midland Eye Hospital, UK.
Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
|June 1, 1995
Summary
Military lasers designed to blind pose a significant threat to vision. Ophthalmologists must document these weapons, explain their medical effects, and advocate for stricter use limitations.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Military Medicine
- International Law
Background:
- The development of military-grade lasers capable of causing blindness has emerged over the past decade.
- Medical professionals, especially ophthalmologists, have a duty to address this new technological threat.
Observation:
- These lasers present a novel challenge to the prevention and treatment of visual disability.
- The medical effects of these anti-eye laser weapons require thorough documentation.
Findings:
- Ophthalmologists are urged to document the technology and its medical consequences.
- There is a need to influence the threshold for the use of these blinding weapons.
Implications:
- Proposals to prohibit anti-eye laser warfare at the United Nations Convention Conference in 1995 offer a chance to condemn blinding as a warfare tactic.
- Stigmatizing blinding as a method of warfare is a key objective.