Powerful lasers damage eyesight of some Russian ravers

Here's one straight from the bizarro chapters. Dozens of individuals that attended an all night dance party near Moscow have been "partially blinded after a laser light show burned their retinas," according to Russian health officials. Apparently someone responsible for erecting the equipment decided to aim a few lights powerful enough to brighten the night sky down at the crowd (after rain necessitated a makeshift roof, we're told), with some of those who stared too long losing up to "80%" of their vision. We're not exactly sure what will happen to the promoters of the event, but at least now you have a valid excuse to rock those face-engulfing sunglasses (or a welding mask, if you're really paranoid) in every night club you waltz into.

[Via Switched, image courtesy of iGouGo]

[Sarig @ Jul 16th 2008 7:57PM]

That's just horrible.

[v3xx @ Jul 16th 2008 8:31PM]

at least it was a week and a half ago when this happened.

what really happened was it was raining and they used plastic tents to cover the people and the laser was partially refracted into the ravers' eyes most of the people simply have a permanent black spot similar to staring at a bright light.

i've heard of making a story more juicy but saying someone deliberately did this, come on engadget.

[dubbbya @ Jul 16th 2008 9:09PM]

I am an idiot

I made the mistake of looking into a class 3b laser while I was drunk, just to see how bad it really was.

That was like 2 weeks ago. I'm still seeing spots, but i'm used to it.

Just sometimes when I look at something (usually text on the screen) there is just like an empty green gap.

[rock99rock @ Jul 16th 2008 9:15PM]

@dubbbya

Yeeeaup. That'll do it... They don't call it a "LASER" for nothing.

[bohsocks @ Jul 16th 2008 9:21PM]

USA! USA!

[GatgetMan @ Jul 16th 2008 9:28PM]

Look at that picture. Look closely.... There's not a single chick in there. It's a total sausage fest!

[Aguiluz @ Jul 16th 2008 9:29PM]

I'll stay at home. Thank you.

Screw laser TV sets. Screw lasers at all!

(Except on disc drives)

[bohsocks @ Jul 16th 2008 9:37PM]

Nah... there's a chick towards the left side of the picture. She's a fat chick, though... so blah. And the guy towards the front kinda looks like Jon Heder, and he's kind of a chick.

[Mr.Tech @ Jul 16th 2008 10:12PM]

Most clubs have 30-100mw green lasers Class 3B. I guess ravers everywhere are getting blind haha....

[Ignatius @ Jul 16th 2008 10:30PM]

There's actually five women in there that I counted, identifiable anyway.

It's only half-mast fest in there. :O

[Aguiluz @ Jul 16th 2008 11:28PM]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXfyDUJjVq4

Youtube video.

[Nippon @ Jul 17th 2008 4:21AM]

Hahaha that dude in the video totally has a mullet... He was just asking for it.

[Charlie Calhoun @ Jul 17th 2008 5:19AM]

@Gadget Man

I see one, just one. There's like a line of empty space, aka, no people, from the camera that goes to the left of the camera, and it leads straight to a girl, but so far, she's the only one I can see. Some of them could be, but the lighting and resolution isn't helpful.

But judging by that one guy, second from the right.. he was there for the sausage fest. You know which one I'm talking about, the one wearing nothing but undies, a collar, and some sort of mini-russian-arm-floatation-device, like those kids at the pool get, you know, in case he.. falls into a pool from the rain?

[Raytaka1222 @ Jul 17th 2008 8:34AM]

@ Charlie Calhoun

I see what you did there. +10

[Timmy @ Jul 17th 2008 8:49AM]

Let the "In Russia" jokes begin! Go

[Paul Dullford @ Jul 16th 2008 7:57PM]

Government censorship at its most brilliant.

[Michael LaFramboise @ Jul 16th 2008 8:18PM]

Excuse me for asking but WTF does any government have to do w/ a poorly organized event? Thats like blaming the government for Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction at the SuperBowl...

[Paul Dullford @ Jul 16th 2008 8:29PM]

Here's an explanation.
"Government censorship" -- perhaps these laser show managers were government undercover agents setting out to rid Moscow of night life.
"most brilliant" -- that's a pun, by the way.

[Flashpoint @ Jul 17th 2008 12:47AM]

"Don't rave me Comrade"

[contact @ Jul 16th 2008 7:58PM]

photoshopped

[neofolklore @ Jul 17th 2008 8:11AM]

chargin ma lazer

[DaLa @ Jul 16th 2008 7:58PM]

In US lasers cure eyes. In russia, laser damage eyes.

[Michael LaFramboise @ Jul 16th 2008 8:10PM]

In USSR dumbasses (among many others) were sent to the prisons in the far north-east. In USA they roamed the streets.

[who? @ Jul 16th 2008 8:44PM]

You can apply that same logic to so many things. Nukes for example.

When we got 'em it ended a war. When they got 'em it started one.

;-)

[who? @ Jul 16th 2008 9:26PM]

Oh, come on. Historically and grammatically correct comment, relating directly to the post to which I replied, and I STILL got a low rank??

[Greg @ Jul 16th 2008 9:32PM]

@ who? Read up on a guy named "Yakov Smirnoff".
In Soviet Russia, wiki reads you!

[Raytaka1222 @ Jul 17th 2008 9:23AM]

FAIL

I see what you were trying to do, but it was ALL wrong.

[KEROLiUKAS @ Jul 16th 2008 8:00PM]

That fucking sucks.

[collegekid13 @ Jul 16th 2008 8:07PM]

that will help me "feel" the music

[Michael LaFramboise @ Jul 16th 2008 8:19PM]

Wouldn't "see" be more appropriate in this case? ...or rather the absence of "see"...

[Qkthr @ Jul 16th 2008 8:17PM]

That image scares me. Especially the guy in the bottom right corner.

[Thi mam(kris120890) @ Jul 16th 2008 8:30PM]

Look at the guys shorts in the bottom right hand corner. You'll see what I mean.

[Thi mam(kris120890) @ Jul 16th 2008 8:15PM]

The proper story goes thet the event was an open air gig and the lasers were to be pointed sky wards. However, rain was forecasted and the organisers decided to not take a chance and erected some sort of roof. The lasers were kept and pointed at the roof. The gig started and after a while the lasers were hitting something reflective hitting people in the eyes immediatley showing red dots. Days later the Red dots had got larger so they all visited the hospitals around and were immediatley admitted without time taken to visit home.

Next time read and write the proper story. This story came out i think on friday. kick in the bollocks for the people involved.

[Faar @ Jul 17th 2008 8:00PM]

WATCH the video, please. You can clearly CLEARLY see the lasers are pointing straight out at the audience.

...Well, see, up until the point the lasers shooting straight out BLINDED THE CAMERA CCD SENSOR... Then the video image goes out. Kind of speaks for the power of these beams now doesn't it?

So no, it wasn't reflections off the makeshift tent roof that caused this.

[Boarderwoot @ Jul 16th 2008 8:15PM]

I can just imagine it now...one man down on the floor squirming in painful blindness...
"Hey borris, what happened man?"
"The light, dont' look into the light!"
-Natasha looks into the light
"Ahhhh it burns us precious!!!"
so on and so forth.
Rave party drugs would only increase this effect. This is such a sad story. :(

[andres @ Jul 16th 2008 11:11PM]

damn you moose and squirrel with your lasers

[Ninjakamster (PS360 FTW!) @ Jul 16th 2008 8:20PM]

Oh god, those poor people. : - 0

[DefPo3t @ Jul 16th 2008 8:20PM]

High intensity laser + eyes = vision damage. Who da thunk that

[gilbert @ Jul 16th 2008 8:22PM]

epic fail on the picture... google image for rave laser or better yet a big europeon dance festival like trance energy or dance valley

http://www.maxclubin.com/images/wallpaper/dance-valley-2006-2.jpg

[Robert @ Jul 16th 2008 8:40PM]

epic fail on the link

[dziban303 @ Jul 16th 2008 8:25PM]

They still have raves in Russia? Damn, they're always fifteen years behind.

[Sarig @ Jul 16th 2008 8:30PM]

You mean being drunk and dancing with loads of other people has gone out of fashion? Well shit. I'd better stop then :(

[trancer @ Jul 16th 2008 8:27PM]

very sad indeed. low powered lasers might not be as cool, but they are much safer, and reduce the chances of such accidents from happening.
when it comes to huge raves, higher the dutch, they know how to throw a party ;-)...just don't let them pick the music. jk
Hope those people affected recover somehow.

[Lamp @ Jul 16th 2008 8:28PM]

+1 for the guy wearing a visor at a rave

[Paul Dullford @ Jul 16th 2008 9:02PM]

It'll be like the old days when people wore wacky bow ties to the movie theatre in the early days and they could watch the movie for free if they wore the ties throughout the show.
"Be worn by a visor for the whole rave, and admission fee will refund!"

[Sean O @ Jul 16th 2008 10:10PM]

I must be old. Last rave I went to (circa 1999) every other dude wore a visor.

[tb @ Jul 17th 2008 7:38PM]

the visors were originally wore for that reason, to protect you totally dilated pupills from the blinders and strobes (anyways, it was in my raving days (1994-2001)

[Homeboy @ Jul 16th 2008 8:35PM]

"(or a welding mask, if you're really paranoid)"

Lmao!!!! =D

[Glenn @ Jul 16th 2008 8:30PM]

The Day of the Triffids for the 21st Century

[CraigJ @ Jul 16th 2008 8:40PM]

"No Frickin' sharks were sighted"