Oslo student injured by laser at graduation celebration

A female russ—a Norwegian high school graduate celebrating the end of exams—has reported an eye injury caused by a laser at a gathering in Oslo, police confirmed Wednesday.

Oslo Police District stated they had received a report describing an eye injury “consistent with laser exposure” following an event at Tryvann on the night of May 26. “An investigation has been initiated, and preliminary steps are being taken to clarify the circumstances,” said police prosecutor Nora Stavn Nokhart.

The injured student, whose school declined to comment on individual health details, told Dagbladet she had sustained eye damage. Her russebuss—a decorated bus used in graduation festivities—also confirmed the injury and has since urged other buses to stop using lasers. The bus has thousands of social media followers.

Ingar Stene-Johansen, a senior physician at Oslo University Hospital’s ophthalmology department, told public broadcaster NRK that the injury was likely caused by a high-powered laser. “It can happen in milliseconds. You might not even notice the laser hitting your eye,” he said.

The incident follows a May 17 case in Arendal, where a male graduate from Kristiansand was left blind in one eye after a similar celebration. Agder Police District, investigating that case, seized five illegal lasers from a russebuss last week. Police prosecutor Hanna Hurv Nilsen stated Wednesday that no suspects had been named, citing ongoing forensic analysis of the confiscated devices.