In international humanitarian law, the use of laser weapons is prohibited when they are specifically designed, as their sole combat function or as one of their combat functions, to cause permanent blindness to unenhanced vision, that is to the naked eye or to the eye with corrective eyesight devices.

See Weapons;

 OUTLINE

Chapter 9, III. 2. c) dd) blinding weapons

 LEGAL SOURCE

CIHL, 86

 DOCUMENT

Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons (Protocol IV to the 1980 Convention)

 CASES

United States, Memorandum of Law: The Use of Lasers as Anti-Personnel Weapons

 BIBLIOGRAPHIC RESOURCES

Suggested reading:

CARNAHAN Burrus & ROBERTSON Marjorie, “The Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons: A New Direction for Humanitarian Law”, in AJIL, Vol. 90/3, 1996, pp. 484-490.   DOSWALD-BECK Louise, “New Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons”, in IRRC, No. 312, May-June 1996, pp. 272-299.   Further reading:   PETERS Ann, “Blinding Laser Weapons: New Limits on the Technology of Warfare”, in Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Journal, Vol. 18, 1998, pp.733-766.