It's all fun and games until somebody loses an eye

[Trippy]

Ravers lose sight at laser show

That would really suck.

[Ironwood]

Free dark glasses with every ticket.

[HaemishM]

That's what you get for listening to techno.

[Lantyssa]

That's what you get for listening to techno.

[Paelos]

Let this serve as a warning to the rest of the techno-idiots. Freaking lazers are dangerous.

[IainC]

.. and then it's all fun and games with poor depth perception.

[stu]

Lazers    Lazers    Lazers    !!!

[climbjtree]

I feel like no one here has ever rolled at an outdoor rave before. I will tell you that it is absolutely amazing.

Aside from that, losing your vision sucks, but who stares at the lasers? There are much better things to stare at when attending such events.

[Trippy]

Aside from that, losing your vision sucks, but who stares at the lasers? There are much better things to stare at when attending such events.

They weren't. The (overpowered) laser beams were refracted off the rain drops into people's eyes.

[Selby]

Aside from that, losing your vision sucks, but who stares at the lasers? There are much better things to stare at when attending such events.

If the laser is powerful enough, it doesn't even need to be stared at or seen.  The radiation alone emitting from a powerful laser source in a room that you enter without protection can give you a sunburn.  Most laser pointers and whatnot are in the sub 1-5mW range (class II and III lasers).  To emit laser light into the sky where it can be seen from long distances, I am sure the beams are considerably more powerful than that (and in the US require special licenses\training to operate).  It only takes 10mW right on the optic nerve to blind you, and if you get exposed to high power laser light (and by "high power" it means more than 500mW) for a period of time without any eye protection it is essentially the same as staring at the sun or staring at an arc welder's blast.  Scorches the cornea and you get scar tissue that forms giant black\colored spots that don't let light through.  Essentially you sunburned your eyes and when it is bad enough it doesn't always heal or go away.

I don't know whether anyone took a laser beam directly to the eye, but I'd bet that the lasers they were using were pretty powerful and if they were used with a black tarp over the event and combined with rain would make for some serious radiation flying around the area exposing people.

[climbjtree]

Geez, I didn't realize lasers of that power were used at raves! Luckily I haven't been to one in a while and won't be going to one anytime soon. Good info though - there are some knowledgeable people on F13.

[Selby]

Geez, I didn't realize lasers of that power were used at raves!

They aren't supposed to be.  I think this situation was one of them using the wrong equipment for the job combined with bad weather elements and administration mistakes leading to the situation at hand.  Lasers to light up the sky are very powerful to be seen at a distance.  Lasers used at normal raves are your typical class I or II or maybe even class III lasers (essentially a slightly bigger version of those laser pointers people like to use).  The situation in the article would be like putting the sound system for a 60,000 person concert arena inside of a typical 100 person bar and having the volume the set for the arena in the tiny building.

And the fact that the article says they have retinal burns to me indicates radiation exposure as most visible light wavelengths\UV tends to attack the cornea first.  Different wavelengths such as infrared\YAG lasers and whatnot pass right through and go to the retina\optic nerve area at the back of the eye (probably why they use variations of them to treat retinal problems in eye surgery ;-) ).

[bhodi]

[MahrinSkel]

One of my more...colorful friends (and with the company I keep, that's really saying something) has gleefully whipped together an apparatus from Lithium Ion cell phone batteries, the "shaker" that makes a phone vibrate, and a PS3 laser diode that he's pretty convinced he could blind somebody with.  He's not quite crazy enough to try it out on people for kicks, but I have seen him set paper on fire from across the room. The shaker gives it a wobble pattern about the size of a human head at 30 feet.  And I know the military is experimenting with laser systems for blinding enemy snipers.

--Dave

[Paelos]

I feel like no one here has ever rolled at an outdoor rave before. I will tell you that it is absolutely amazing.

Aside from that, losing your vision sucks, but who stares at the lasers? There are much better things to stare at when attending such events.

Raves suck. Get a job you hippy.

Etc.

[Sky]

Raves 

This is a great idea. I say instead of trying to use lasers, just plant explosives around the venue. Do humanity a favor.

[stu]

[Paelos]

I'm adding that to the list of internet things I've seen before and still don't get.

[stu]

I think they're raving.

[IainC]

It's from Wondermark which is awesome.

[Hawkbit]

This thread needs some Thomas Dolby.