Laser injuries prompt urgent warning after two more Norwegian russ suffer eye damage

Two more Norwegian russ celebrants have suffered serious eye injuries from laser exposure, bringing the total to four cases in recent weeks, Oslo University Hospital (OUS) confirmed Friday.

The hospital’s eye department treated another patient Friday for severe damage to the retina’s high-acuity zone, suspected to be laser-induced. A fourth case was referred from another clinic in the Helse Sør-Øst health region. Both injuries follow earlier incidents this month where russ participants lost partial vision after being struck by lasers during graduation celebrations.

“In a very short time, we’ve now seen four russ with permanent damage to their central vision where laser exposure is the likely cause,” said Ingar Stene-Johansen, chief physician and ophthalmology specialist at OUS. He and department head Morten C. Moe issued an urgent appeal Friday evening: “Turn off the lasers now.”

Even millisecond exposure can cause irreversible harm, the hospital warned. With multiple cases emerging across the region, Moe stressed the risk of further injuries. “We strongly urge all russ to disable their lasers until we understand this better,” he said.

Oslo police, though not previously notified of the latest incidents, endorsed the medical warning. The call follows a May 17 case in Agder where a russ participant was partially blinded by a bus-mounted laser; police later seized the vehicle, which had four fixed lasers firing through holes in its exterior. The lasers were sent to the Directorate for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety for analysis.

At this week’s russ gathering at Kadettangen, organizers and bus operators voluntarily banned lasers from the festival area.