Can laser damage birds eye?

[Erlomi]

Hello there, I am new to posting and please bear with me.

Iwould appreciate any advice as to what I can do with this problem I have .
I have caught my neighbour shining a blue laser light directly into my cockatoo's and African grey's eye. I suspected this before but have never caught him red handed until today. When I politely asked him not to do it in future as it could blind my babies he started shouting at he saying it's his right to do so as they are noisy.

Is there anyway a vet can check my babies out to rule out any damage has been done to their eyes ? I am particularly worried about my cockatoo as there are black patches around his lids on his right eye. Is this related to the laser light exposure?He does not seem distressed at the moment. As for my African grey, I cannot see any physical damage. What signs should I be looking out for in terms of harm that could have come to my two birds from this awful neighbour?

Is there anything I can do to stop this awful neighbour from doing this again. He was rather aggressive when I spoke to him today.

Any help and advice is very much appreciated!

 

[ToMang07]

There are things that can be done.

The things I would do would be considered "premeditated" if I posted them, however.

 

[Mimsy01]

That is the most mean spirited thing. Your neighbor makes my blood boil.

 

[Erlomi]

I was really upset when I caught him today and what made me angry is the fact he feels it's his right to do it to melt out punishment he sees fit disregarding the fact it could blind them !

ToMang07: I know what you mean!

 

[Doublete]

Move them Away from the window he has access to.

 

[Bandespresso]

Poor babies! Is there any way to move them away fro a window until you hash things out with your neighbor? I say shine a laser in his eye for being a terrible person.

Definitely talk to the authorities to see what(if anything) you can do. If there is damage, he could very well be held responsible for it. Definitely get them to a vet when you can to check it out.

 

[Scott]

I would be outraged!

Lasers can be destructive to a human eye, and I would imagine potentially more so to the avian equivalent. It is a matter of laser power, color, and duration. I would first approach law enforcement and animal control, then take your birds to an avian specialist vet. Not sure how advanced avian ophthalmology is, but the structures are well known. In my line of work, lasers are a serious threat, and we are taught they potentially cause retinal damage due to burning as well as photochemical changes to the eye.

I'll keep my language clean, but this has the awful stench of animal cruelty. I wouldn't be surprised if this individual has committed other dreadful acts.

 

[SailBoat]

It really helps to know your State or Country, since laws and Vet service vary greatly.

First: Any Avail Vet can check your parrots eyes. If you are in a larger city, there is likely a animal eye specialist. Commonly, your Vet would set-up a visit with the specialist depending on their findings.

Second: If you are Renting, consider moving ASAP. Relationships are not going to improve based on what you have stated. If you own, you are faced with the same reality, only more issues to deal with. If you are not upside down in your mortgage; move!

Third: As stated by others, move the parrots to a different room or place a thick (or multi layer cotton material) over the window. This is a short term fix because you are living next door to an idiot.

Fourth: Blue lasers are 'commonly' not as strong as red lasers. However, laser technology is growing rapidly and that could have changed.

Fifth: Pointing any laser at humans, animals or worst aircraft is not looked at lightly by most police forces. Before you go to the police, understand what was said above. The reality is that you live next door to an idiot and things can and most likely will spin out of control. So, before you go to the police assure that you are well underway with moving. Rarely does calling the police solve the long term problem: You Live Next Door To An Idiot.

FYI: Next time, introduce your parrots to your neighbors early on. Like barking dogs, a working relationship before a problem develops will greatly reduce the edge.

 

[Terry57]

What a terrible neighbour you have! I was also wondering if you could move them away from the window or cover it so he can't shine the laser in any more?
Agree completely with Scott, I'm wondering what other terrible acts he has or will commit against another animal.

 

[Kalel]

Wow! What kind of brain does this guy have?? Even if your birds ARE indeed bothering him how can he think that the best way to solve his problem is to try to hurt the birds??? Whether or not the laser is actually damaging the birds eyes, I have a feeling that it WAS his intention to hurt them or at least torment them. Very smart...like the birds are going to say "oh, that laser is teaching me not to squawk"...unbelievable. Like another poster has already mentioned, I don't think this guys problems begin nor end with your birds. I hate to think that you'd have to move over this, but he doesn't seem to have any sense of logic or self control!

On the bright side, I do think that for most of these readily available hand held lasers that are so relatively weak that you'd have to hold them still for many minutes in the exact same spot of tissue to cause damage. That seems unlikely since the birds would be moving as well as the limited steadiness of a human hand especially from a window quite a distance away. Most of these lasers are similar to the weak ones that are mounted on the Laser Tag guns, for example. It would not hurt to get your birds eyes checked of course for peace of mind and just to be sure, but I wouldn't be too worried about significant damage at this point. I'd be more upset that he was TRYING to achieve that!

I hope that makes you feel a little bit better

 

[Erlomi]

Thank you all for your helpful advice.
Unfortunately moving is not an option for me. I guess I will have to wait and see what he gets up to next.
He has already got the local authority twice on me for the apparent noise but after their investigations on both occasions they didn't see a problem hence I guess he is taking the law into his own hands. I still can't get my head round to how cruel he is to try and blind them !
I will be moving them so that he is less likely to succeed if he were to try his cruel trick again.
Will keep you updated on any developments.

 

[DexMom]

Is he shining them through a window? If so, I would invest in a couple of mirrors, so the next time he tries to blind one of your birds, he gets an eyeful.

 

[Flboy]

I agree with all of the above! A thought! A call to 911! Someone from that house is pointing a gun at you! Either way what he is doing is illegal!

 

[Jayyj]

I'd suggest being careful not to do anything that could be considered provocative outside of following the proper channels.

That said, a letter advising him of the danger in what he has been doing, that you have referred his behaviour to the police and pointing out that any sign of injury to your birds caused be his irresponsible behaviour will result in legal action could be a good way too make him think twice. It sounds as though he doesn't care either way whether he causes distress to the birds - perhaps the threat of an expensive legal bill will hit him a little harder.

 

[psycmeistr]

I would the following things:

1. Contact the police.

2. Bring your birds to the vet-- and send the bill to your neighbor. Lawyer up, if necessary.

 

[Siobhan]

Get blinds for the windows. As for the neighbor, I'm with ToMango. What I'd want to do would be illegal and violent.

 

[Taw5106]

I can't add any advice given but can let you know this makes me very mad and I have a tendency to confront people. Definitely determine advice you can implement, but keep logs too that include date, time and activity, you never know if you'll need them.

 

[Birdman666]

I believe it's actually against the law.
Video tape him doing it, then call the police.

Give them an airtight case... they might arrest him.

Careful With That Laser Pointer, It Could Put You in Prison

However, my experience with these kinds of people is that they just continue to ramp up the bad behaviors...

 

[Birdman666]

I would the following things:

1. Contact the police.

2. Bring your birds to the vet-- and send the bill to your neighbor. Lawyer up, if necessary.

You do that, he probably won't pay the vet bill and you'll probably end up in small claims court. Absent proof that he did it, i.e. catching him doing it on video,

You do have malice established though, i.e. he filed a complaint that was investigated, and deemed to be without merit, and then the harassment began.

 

[Birdman666]

You Live Next Door To An Idiot.

FYI: Next time, introduce your parrots to your neighbors early on. Like barking dogs, a working relationship before a problem develops will greatly reduce the edge.

Introducing a neighbor to your birds, when he is an idiot, only makes him more of an idiot.

But you are right. He's an idiot, and likely to continue being an idiot.