Company Develops Laser-Blocking Eyewear for Pilots

When someone on the ground shines a laser at an aircraft cockpit, there’s not much a pilot can do, and the effect can be disorienting and dangerous to crew and passengers. But a new line of eyewear developed to combat the increasing problem of laser flashes has been developed and is now available for preorder.

PerriQuest Laser Defense Eyewear blocks red, green and blue laser lights that can distract and temporarily blind pilots, while maintaining color discrimination for normal vision.

The glasses can be bought with one of two lenses: daytime lenses, with UV protection, or nighttime lenses, which let in ambient light for night vision. Prescription lenses also are available.

The company hasn't said when the glasses, currently only being sold in bulk contracts, will be available to everyone for purchase, but preorders can be made here.

Thousands of laser strike events have been reported to the FAA since the agency began keeping track of incidents in 2005, with the number of reports trending upward. More than 7,500 incidents were reported to the FAA last year alone. So far, no crashes have been attributed to lasers, but a number of pilots have sought medical attention after incidents.