ravers blinded

francois

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL1452972520080714?sp=true

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Dozens of partygoers at an outdoor rave near Moscow
last week have lost partial vision after a laser light show burned their
retinas, Russian health officials said on Monday.

Moscow city health department officials confirmed 12 cases of
laser-blindness at the Central Ophthalmological Clinic, and daily
newspaper Kommersant said another 17 were registered at City Hospital
32 in the centre of the capital.

Attendees at the July 5 Aquamarine Open Air Festival in Kirzhach, 80 km
(50 miles) northeast of Moscow, began seeking medical help days after
the show, complaining of eye and vision problems, health officials
told Reuters.

"They all have retinal burns, scarring is visible on them. Loss of vision
in individual cases is as high as 80 percent, and regaining it is already
impossible," Kommersant quoted a treating ophthalmologist as saying.

Attendees said heavy rains forced organizers to erect massive tents for
the all-night dance party, and lasers that normally illuminate upwards
into the sky were instead partially refracted into the ravers' eyes.

"I immediately had a spot like when you stare into the sun," rave-attendee
Dmitry told Kommersant.

"After three days I decided to go to the hospital. They examined me, asked
if I had been at Open Air, and then put me straight in the hospital. I
didn't even get to go home and get my stuff," he said.

Cosmic Connection, promoters of the Aquamarine rave, were unreachable
and did not list contact numbers on their Web site.

Industry Web site www.laserfx.com said focused laser light can cause
eye damage almost instantly.

The owner of a Moscow laser rental company told Reuters the accidental
blindings were due to "illiteracy on the part of technicians."

"It was partly the rain, but also partly the size of the laser. Somebody
set up an extremely powerful laser for such a small space," said Valentin
Vasiliev, who said his company did not provide the Aquamarine lasers.

(Additional reporting by Tatiana Ustinova; Editing by Giles Elgood)

jonny68

Seen that,shocking indeed, i remember being at a warehouse rave around 1994 and there was a big fcuk off lazer there and it was seriously powerful, the warehouse wasn't really safe to stage a rave as water was leaking in all over the place and probably came into contact with the lazer like it did there in Moscow, thankfully nothing like this happened but shocking to think something like this can happen.:eek: