The Norwegian Directorate for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (DSA) has banned all use of laser equipment during graduation celebrations following a series of severe eye injuries. Police seized 15 high-power lasers from 12 buses in Bærum on May 30, 2026, as medical officials warn of permanent blindness.
Police Seizures at Kadettangen and the DSA Ban
The crackdown centered on Kadettangen in Bærum, where police and DSA officials inspected 13 parked graduation buses. Of those, 12 were found to have laser equipment installed. Authorities took 15 laser units into custody to prevent further injuries to students or bystanders. Fvn.no noted that while owning or renting such equipment can be legal under specific laws, the current usage during the celebrations has crossed a dangerous threshold.
The equipment was not merely powerful; it was often neglected. As VG reported, most of the lasers lacked the required marking mandated by Norwegian regulations. Some units showed visible physical damage, which increased the risk of erratic or hazardous beam emission.
These laser systems we found during the inspection are irresponsible radiation use that can result in significant health hazards. It is therefore illegal.
Despite the seizures, police have not filed criminal charges against individuals or companies at this stage. The current priority is preventative removal of the hardware from the streets during the peak of the festivities.
Permanent Vision Loss: The OUS Medical Reports
The urgency of the ban is driven by a surge in clinical cases at Oslo University Hospital (OUS). The hospital’s eye department has registered four students with serious injuries to the area of sharp vision, with lasers suspected as the cause. NRK detailed that these injuries are highly unusual and specifically linked to the environment of graduation buses.
The human cost is already evident. A 19-year-old named Marianne has reported permanent damage to her eye after being hit by a laser during a gathering in May. Even more severe was a case in Agder, where a student became blind in one eye after being struck by a laser on the night of May 17. In that instance, police later seized a bus containing four fast-mounted lasers that fired through holes cut into the vehicle’s facade.
Turn off the lasers now.
Medical experts emphasize that the window for injury is terrifyingly small. Even millisecond exposure can destroy the ability to see clearly in the center of the eye, a condition that is often irreversible.
The Hazards of Class 4 Lasers
The equipment found in the Bærum buses falls into Class 4, the most powerful and dangerous category of laser safety. These devices are capable of causing severe injury not only through direct exposure but also through reflected radiation. TV 2 highlighted that the accessibility of this technology has increased as prices have dropped, leading students to treat professional-grade hardware as party toys.
Bård Olsen, a section chief at the DSA, explains that a high-power laser can cause blindness faster than the eye’s natural blink reflex. While students may seek out “impressive” specs, there is a massive gap between reality and the marketing of these devices. One rental company reported a student attempting to rent a 25,000-watt laser—a device that does not exist. In reality, a laser of only 2 to 3 watts is sufficient to cause catastrophic eye damage.
Industry Push for Stricter Rental Regulations
The crisis has sparked a debate among professional light and sound rental firms regarding the ethics of leasing high-power equipment to private individuals. Companies like Nordic Sound & Light AS and Holmen Lyd og lys argue that the strongest lasers should be restricted to professional events where safety distances and audience positioning are strictly controlled.
Some providers have already begun refusing customers who lack technical knowledge of laser safety. The consensus among these professionals is that the “cool factor” of the lights is being prioritized over basic human safety, leaving rental companies vulnerable to the fallout of misuse.
No one should have to risk losing their sight as a result of a graduation celebration.
The current trajectory suggests a shift in how the russetid is regulated. With the DSA now actively banning the hardware and the Ministry of Health weighing in, the era of unregulated, high-powered light shows on graduation buses is likely over. The immediate future will likely involve stricter oversight of rental contracts and more frequent police checks of vehicle modifications to ensure that “party lights” do not continue to function as weapons.
