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South Africa: Students warned not to bring lasers to school

A South African province has warned students that laser lights “can be considered a harmful weapon that can cause a serious eyesight injury.” Bringing a laser on school premises would be “serious misconduct, which may lead to expulsion,” said a spokesperson for the Gauteng Department of Education.

It was unclear from news reports whether the warning was sent directly to students at school, or if the warning came only as part of a May 4 2015 news story on the website Health24.com. A May 11 search of the Gauteng Department of Education website did not show any announcements, notices, documents, or other information warning about laser pointer hazards.

The spokesperson said that at least two children had permanent eye damage from lasers. One case cited was a South African 11-year-old boy who looked into the laser light after one of his classmates was playing with it. His mother said “He now has a blind spot right in front of him, but still see the sides of the eye [sic].” This case was reported in April 2015. The other South African case involved a child who aimed a laser’s light into his eye and had permanent damage.

Gautang is the most populous province in South Africa. It contains the cities of Johannesburg, Pretoria, Midrand and Vanderbijlpark.

From Health24.com: Story about the warning to learners, and story about the 11-year-old boy being injured.