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US: Eye damage to Coast Guard crewmember
25 Mar 2018 -- Categories: Aviation incidents | Eye effect or injury
A Coast Guard helicopter crew member suffered eye damage when he was stuck by green laser lights while training in Coast Guard Air Station/Sector Field Office Port Angeles, in Washington state.
He and two other members of the MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew landed safely after being hit by a laser several times at about 9 p.m. March 21 2018.
The aircrew conducted visual acuity tests with the duty corpsman. After consultation with the flight surgeon, two of the three aircrew members were medically grounded until they received further examination by an optometrist.
One of the crew members was found to have suffered eye damage and was grounded for seven days. The crew member will be reevaluated this week. The other crew member was grounded for two hours but has since returned to duty.
Because members of the crew were medically grounded, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island and Sector Columbia River in Warrenton, Ore., became responsible for covering the Port Angeles station’s area of responsibility until Port Angeles aircrews were medically cleared.
From the Peninsula Daily News and a U.S. Coast Guard press release
He and two other members of the MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew landed safely after being hit by a laser several times at about 9 p.m. March 21 2018.
The aircrew conducted visual acuity tests with the duty corpsman. After consultation with the flight surgeon, two of the three aircrew members were medically grounded until they received further examination by an optometrist.
One of the crew members was found to have suffered eye damage and was grounded for seven days. The crew member will be reevaluated this week. The other crew member was grounded for two hours but has since returned to duty.
Because members of the crew were medically grounded, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island and Sector Columbia River in Warrenton, Ore., became responsible for covering the Port Angeles station’s area of responsibility until Port Angeles aircrews were medically cleared.
From the Peninsula Daily News and a U.S. Coast Guard press release