complaint of blindness by dynamo

[soundscapes]

Just had a phone call from the local council health and saftey department that a lady two weeks ago has put in a complaint about the company as our acme dynamo's have burnt the lenses of her eyes and caused blindness in one eye.

Has anyone heard of anyone going blind from this? There is a chance she is going to sue us for this.

How would she prove this? How do we prove that it wasn't our lights, they were pointing at the dance floor all night and nobody said anything on the night about the lights shining in anyones faces.

[Adam_F]

Not sure about how you can prove it weren't, she'll obviously have medical evidence to show that a bright light has caused damage.
Just hope you've got P.L.I, else this could be very expensive.

[dj-jaym]

Maybe be wise to speak to your companys legal dept ? They should advise how to proceed

[rob1963]

Just had a phone call from the local council health and saftey department that a lady two weeks ago has put in a complaint about the company as our acme dynamo's have burnt the lenses of her eyes and caused blindness in one eye.

Has anyone heard of anyone going blind from this? There is a chance she is going to sue us for this.

How would she prove this? How do we prove that it wasn't our lights, they were pointing at the dance floor all night and nobody said anything on the night about the lights shining in anyones faces.

Sounds to me like she's either trying it on, or trying to blame YOUR lights for a problem caused by something else.

How many of us have heard any cases of a disco light causing blindness?

I also wonder why it would only cause blindness in ONE eye?

Did she have the other eye closed all night at the gig?

It sounds to me like she'll have an impossible task proving it was your lights that caused damage to her eyes.

Either way, I'd seek some legal advice, but presumably you have PLI, in which case I see no neeed to worry.

[Corabar Steve]

Old or new Dynamo? Either way I can't see how a 100w or 250w light could cause blindness

[Thames Valley Discos]

And i may sue the car driver who blinded me with his bright lights last night.
What a world we now live in. If she found them bright, STOP looking at them.
I give up with the laws of this land. GOOD luck!!!!

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Unless they were in exactly the same position all night (eg: in her eye), then there's no way it could have caused any damage.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Seems to me a bit funny seeing as there was a topic on here the other day that mentioned something along those lines etc.. Could it be that someone has read that on here and is trying it on? I know it's probably a long shot but you never know.

I've never heard of anything so stupid in all my life to be honest. Was she standing directly underneath them and looking into the lenses all night then? I would take it with a pinch of salt and not worry about it. Did they say what lights did the 'damage' specifically? I agree that they are only 100w lights, blimey if they were 1000w then yes maybe.

[Paul James Promotions]

She doesn't have a leg to stand on. How can a scanner (250w at the most) cause eye damage when at live events you sometimes have tens of thousands of watts of par cans facing an artist / band all night on full.

The only possibly way to cause damage (usually skin burn rather than eye damage) would be from a discharge lamp, with the UV filter absent, or the lid removed from the lighting fixture at close range resulting in direct exposure to the lamp.

Jamie

[Dragonfly]

that is just ridiculous .... id like to see her prove it .... but i dont have any dynamos anymore as i did have people upset at the brightness.... maybe a wind up mate but seek advice as already said .....

right how do i get hold of that god chap?? his sun light thing is very bright today and im wanting to sue?

really people are sueing for everything why do we bother

lights --- cause blindness --- get sued
loud music - causes deafness -- get sued
bubble machine causes slippy surface -- get sued
smoke machines --- bring on asthma (allegedly) -- get sued
van to and from gig releases harmful gasses resulting in the death of everyone on the planet ---- i await the summons for that.

[soundscapes]

They are the 100w dynamo's and we do have PLI. Health and Saftey have said that as far as they are concerned there is no case from them as long as the lights were mounted correctly and he has all the information he needs about what light were there. The venue have said that no one has complained to them about anything about that night.

[BrightLights]

Just had a phone call from the local council health and saftey department that a lady two weeks ago has put in a complaint about the company as our acme dynamo's have burnt the lenses of her eyes and caused blindness in one eye.

If it ever gets as far as legal action (which I doubt it will) she'll need to back up her claim with some hard physical evidence. It might be worth pointing out that it would be very hard indeed to burn the LENS of someone's eye with a beam of light - if anything it would affect the retina, but the beam from a 100W scanner just isn't powerful enough to do any damage to anything. If she had her facts straight and had sought medical advice before talking to H&S, she would already have known that.

My guess is that she's:

A) Trying it on
B) Winding you up
C) Hysterically making unsubstantiated claims that H&S have to take seriously but won't go anywhere

Keep us informed though!

[CRAZY K]

They are the 100w dynamo's and we do have PLI. Health and Saftey have said that as far as they are concerned there is no case from them as long as the lights were mounted correctly and he has all the information he needs about what light were there. The venue have said that no one has complained to them about anything about that night.

Really sounds like a try on--

Does your contract T and Cs cover this in anway?

I have two conditions--one is that we are not liable for loss or damage however caused--not legally watertight I know BUT helps put off people like this.

Now if this was a LASER I might just be a bit worried.

So what do elf and safety say about how the Dynamos should be mounted--dont understand the significance of that--they havent crashed on to anyones head ?

Sometimes I mount them, sometimes I put them on the floor:confused:

As I have said many times before--I use my dynamos in bursts--not continually.

I suggest=====

IMMEDIATELY inform PLI people--do not enter into ANY discussion or talks with anyone---pass all written correspondence to your PLI Insurer after acknowledging in writing.

Tell the Council and anyone else that any allegations must be made in writing and will be dealt with by the legal representatives of the PLI company.

Let us know what happens--im sure we will all give you as much support as we can

Maybe involve the manufacturers as well-they would be VERY VERY keen to kill this claim off--it could do a lot of damage to sales of their products:eek:

CRAZY K

[spin mobile disco]

Trying it on plain and simple. I've been hit in eye from a class 4 laser before with no perminant damage (lots of floaters at the time but nothing worse) unless she was wearing very high focus glasses or using binoculars at the time I see no case.

[Thames Valley Discos]

i'm sueing my neighbour, his outside light just blinded me!
some people have nothing better to do!

[BrightLights]

some people have nothing better to do!

Careful, she'll sue you for defamation of character ;)

[soundscapes]

It wasn't the customer that complained it was one of their guests so even though it wasn't in T & C they wouldn't have known about it. I have put it in T & C today, never really thought about it before. I think guy from H & S was just making sure they were pointing down as when i told him what lights it was he looked up all the information he needed on them from the internet so that he can go back to the women with as much information about it as possible, and he had seen some lights that were pointing down.

[Sam]

She doesn't have a leg to stand on. How can a scanner (250w at the most) cause eye damage when at live events you sometimes have tens of thousands of watts of par cans facing an artist / band all night on full.

The only possibly way to cause damage (usually skin burn rather than eye damage) would be from a discharge lamp, with the UV filter absent, or the lid removed from the lighting fixture at close range resulting in direct exposure to the lamp.

Jamie

haha yes jamie.. not to mention that stupid amount of wattage i point at everyone with the followspot.. so i don't think a dynamo is going to be worse than a followspot..

[Corabar Steve]

Angela says the onus is on them to prove that it was your light that caused it. Innocent until proven guilty works across the board. I doubt you'll be in any trouble.

I think that the council are just paying lip service to this crack pot, to appear to be doing something about it. They may ask you to jump few a few hoops to make sure that you are complying with H&S though.

Even if it did go any further, your insurance company would fight it - in fact, before you do anything, it might be an idea to contact them first. They may want to reply on your behalf, to prevent you inadvertantly saying something they didn't want you to say.

[CRAZY K]

Angela says the onus is on them to prove that it was your light that caused it. Innocent until proven guilty works across the board. I doubt you'll be in any trouble.

I think that the council are just paying lip service to this crack pot, to appear to be doing something about it. They may ask you to jump few a few hoops to make sure that you are complying with H&S though.

Even if it did go any further, your insurance company would fight it - in fact, before you do anything, it might be an idea to contact them first. They may want to reply on your behalf, to prevent you inadvertantly saying something they didn't want you to say.

Exactly and the reason is if you do say something even innocently that later screws up the Insurance Companys defence of your situation --you may be left paying all the bills yourself :eek:

In other words invalidating your Insurance---

Get their guidance first

CRAZY K

[DJ James Lake]

Lets just hope she hasnt got any 100w lightbulbs in her home or she may go blind in the other eye.

[BrightLights]

Lets just hope she hasnt got any 100w lightbulbs in her home or she may go blind in the other eye.

:lol: Perhaps she lives by candlelight to avoid incidents like this. The one night she goes out and *BAM* some crazy fool with a 100W light bulb ruins it all ;)

[BeerFunk]

It sounds like something straight off Ally McBeal, in other words - absolutely ridiculous. She's obviously trying her luck, maybe in the hope that you settle the matter now, but it's never gonna go anywhere.

[djsteve10]

now this is a laugh i have to say.... how can a 100w bulb lead to blindness??

Was you using a laser on your rig that night as you might want to cover yourself for that,

Also make sure you have PLI

[sleah]

PMSL when I read the OP, thought it was April 1st:D

An epileptic wouldn't have a leg to stand on if they tried to sue because disco lights brought on a fit (forgetting strobes for now) as they know about their condition and it is reasonable to expect them to manage it.
So... even if she claimed she had a pre-existing medical condition then it would be her own fault.

It sounds to me like she's either staggeringly stupid and probably should be sectioned, I'd say someone was mental unstable to be coming up with this claptrap, or more likely, she actually trying an insurance scam.

Good luck and don't have sleepless nights over it, I don't think you have anything to worry about, apart from the darn inconvienience of having to deal with it:(

[colint]

Well? I think you should provide sun glasses to all the guests at all your gigs now "just in case" :cool:

[Penfold42]

They are the 100w dynamo's and we do have PLI.


Also make sure you have PLI

:D :D :D :D

Hi Simon - this sounds so stupid........but can see that you are not seeing a funny side of it.:)

I don't think she has a leg to stand on - trying it on as everyone else has said........

I would like to know the outcome though....
Good luck and thanks.:)

[robbiedj]

I have never heard anything so daft.

How do you burn a lens with a light? Maybe a retina if it was very strong, but a LENS?

Come on, folks!

Prolight, stop selling those nasty dangerous things immediately.

[Sam]

now this is a laugh i have to say.... how can a 100w bulb lead to blindness??

Was you using a laser on your rig that night as you might want to cover yourself for that,

Also make sure you have PLI

Do you not read?

[Larry B Entertainment]

She doesn't have a leg to stand on. How can a scanner (250w at the most) cause eye damage when at live events you sometimes have tens of thousands of watts of par cans facing an artist / band all night on full.


And also when they turn on the great big stage blinders that point at the audience, if they did any harm they wouldnt use them at massive events. I have done gigs where i have had 1000w par cars pointed at me from the top, the sides and the floor. The biggest problem then is heat, not the brightness.

I think this woman is trying to make a nice few quid and is coming after a dj with lots of lights and making that an issue.

[funkymike]

I have checked, but its not April the 1st is it?

[Larry B Entertainment]

not on haloween no.

[Vectis]

not on haloween no.

(doing Steve's job...)

Would that be Hallowe'en then?

[Larry B Entertainment]

not sure where this is going.

Think your leading me down a dark alley vibe.

[Dillmiester]

Surely the onus is on Prolight to prove their product is beyond safe (which im sure it is) so I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it.
Whatever next, nerve damage to noses and emotional distress when someone farts!

[DJ James Lake]

make note to myself, change all my lights to 10w bulbs :bang:

[soundscapes]

Complainant is 60 yrs old, and reckons that the lights reflected through her contact lenses and left her blind in one eye. It has however taken 10 days for her to decide this, no complaint was made to the venue or the dj at the time and she didnt attend hospital. all good fun eh ? good job ive got PLI

[spin mobile disco]

Looks like any soliciter will shoot her case to pieces. Dont worry about it just sit back and let it blow over.

[Tom]

im sorry but i have never seen a 60 year old wear contact lenses.

are they allowed??? no offence to anyone if around the 60 mark.

[spin mobile disco]

Good point, not sure depends on eye condition doesnt it? I know im not allowed to wear contacts due to dry eye and this is more common in the over 50's

[sleah]

good job ive got PLI

And you shouldn't need it in this case! Well, let's hope not.......

It'll be a grave day in the industry if you do, the repercusions are just unimaginable:eek:

[spin mobile disco]

Yep , end of dj lighting. Thousands out of jobs in the manafacturing sector lost. No one wanting DJ's because of it. These people don't think past their own pockets.

[Tom]

Good point, not sure depends on eye condition doesnt it? I know im not allowed to wear contacts due to dry eye and this is more common in the over 50's

i have a few family members (well family to be) who have dry eyes aswell.

well enough said really.

[Shaun]

I don't think you've any cause cause for concern. Her claims are ludicrous, and quite frankly insane.

[PropellerHeadCase]

She's 60, she equates all flashing lights at a disco with "lasers" and has heard that "lasers" can cause blindness, end of story.

Addendum: Strangest thing, I'd just hit send and there was a Lasik ad on TV :eek:

[rob1963]

she equates all flashing lights at a disco with "lasers" and has heard that "lasers" can cause blindness.

That's funny, in my case they had the opposite effect!

A few weeks ago my eyes were zapped with a laser, and as a result I was able to throw away my glasses & contacts, as I can now see properly for the first time ever!

[Dragonfly]

That's funny, in my case they had the opposite effect!

A few weeks ago my eyes were zapped with a laser, and as a result I was able to throw away my glasses & contacts, as I can now see properly for the first time ever!

are you admitting to being backwards Rob???

this woman surely does not have any grounds at all particularly if she didnt go straight to the hospital or say anything at the venue??

so her eyes were damaged by bright light .... can she be sure that as she left the venue a car didnt come round the corner with full beam on and cause the damage?? etc etc. really i wouldnt worry.

[rob1963]

are you admitting to being backwards Rob???

this woman surely does not have any grounds at all particularly if she didnt go straight to the hospital or say anything at the venue??

so her eyes were damaged by bright light .... can she be sure that as she left the venue a car didnt come round the corner with full beam on and cause the damage?? etc etc. really i wouldnt worry.

Dave,

I'm not admitting to being backwards, I'm admitting to having laser eye surgery a few weeks back!

I couldn't see before...but now I can!

:D :D :D :D :D

[PropellerHeadCase]

That's funny, in my case they had the opposite effect!

A few weeks ago my eyes were zapped with a laser, and as a result I was able to throw away my glasses & contacts, as I can now see properly for the first time ever!

Ahem...


Addendum: Strangest thing, I'd just hit send and there was a Lasik ad on TV :eek:

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Anyone else know what Propellerheadcase is on about?

[Corabar Steve]

Nope

[spin mobile disco]

Lasik, is a type of laser eye surgery. I think his point is if it was a laser caused blindness then it can fix it. But as it wasnt a laser do they do dynamo eye surgery?

[CRAZY K]

Lasik, is a type of laser eye surgery. I think his point is if it was a laser caused blindness then it can fix it. But as it wasnt a laser do they do dynamo eye surgery?

You can buy an eye laser kit for Dynamos from your local Disco shop:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Rob you could have saved thousands :rolleyes:

Soooo when you think of the number of scanners in use in the World in discos and clubs and as far as we know no one else with this problem--then multiply that by the number of times the scanners have been used;)

The likelihood of this person sadly losing their sight due to a scanner is probably millions or trillions to one:D

Thats an interesting thought for the day:)

CRAZY K
:cowboy:

[Vectis]

The likelihood of this person sadly losing their sight due to a scanner is probably millions or trillions to one:D


Sure is.... can you ring this woman up and ask her for this week's lottery numbers? :D

[PropellerHeadCase]

Anyone else know what Propellerheadcase is on about?

Lasik Eye Surgery (http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=t&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLG,GGLG:2006-03,GGLG:en&q=lasik+eye+surgery)

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Yes, thank you Mr Shakespeare/Wordsworth/George Bernard Shaw

[rob1963]

Rob you could have saved thousands :rolleyes: CRAZY K
:cowboy:

Now you tell me!

[Alsone]

Sorry to trawl but just reading back through this post and saw some important points that needed addressing:


Lasik, is a type of laser eye surgery. I think his point is if it was a laser caused blindness then it can fix it. But as it wasnt a laser do they do dynamo eye surgery?

You can't fix damage caused by a laser. Laser eye surgery involves sculpting a contact lens onto the front eye behind the Cornea using a lens that only heats the corneal area.

Entertainment Laser damage results in a burn on the retina of the eye that either causes permanent scarring thus obscurring the light detectors in that area of the retina or even burns a hole right through it! Either way, laser damage is permanent nearly always. I think if its very slight, then sometimes with steroids something can be done but 99% time misused lasers are fatal to sight (at least to the bit it was focused on). Think of those school experiments: Sun, magnifying glass and Paper. Be aware also, that the retina has no nerve cells so you can't feel the damage being done.




I have two conditions--one is that we are not liable for loss or damage however caused--not legally watertight I know BUT helps put off people like this.

CRAZY K

Be aware, that not only is such an exclusion clause unenforceable but its also a CRIMINAL OFFENCE to attempt to exclude liability for personal injury. You could be prosecuted.


As for the lady in this thread, stupid claim thats going nowhere. I trust it got dropped.

[CRAZY K]

Be aware, that not only is such an exclusion clause unenforceable but its also a CRIMINAL OFFENCE to attempt to exclude liability for personal injury. You could be prosecuted.





Thats interesting, so what exactly is the criminal offence I am committing by having an exclusion clause?

Chapter and verse appreciated and actual statute reference--might this be --no I wont give any clues:D


thanks

CRAZY K

[Andy Westcott]

Loving this!
Some people really try too hard, don't they?

The equipment is safe to use, and there are no restrictions as to how it is to be used. Even if in some unfathomable universe this blindness was actually caused by a 100 watt lamp, shining through a gobo and a coloured filter, the claim would ultimately be with the manufacturers, as it would be reasonable for you to expect the equipment to be totally safe, which of course it is.

[CRAZY K]

Loving this!
Some people really try too hard, don't they?

The equipment is safe to use, and there are no restrictions as to how it is to be used. Even if in some unfathomable universe this blindness was actually caused by a 100 watt lamp, shining through a gobo and a coloured filter, the claim would ultimately be with the manufacturers, as it would be reasonable for you to expect the equipment to be totally safe, which of course it is.

Agree with your sentiments though I think the end user has a responsibility probably.

Personally I now use my dyna twins at floor level in bursts to give added effect on certain dance sections--this reduces the blinding effect and makes it easier to set up.

As I dont get booked by the falling over drunk brigade( other than Xmas) seems to work fine.

CRAZY K

[Jiggles]

I have looked into the beam of my Dynas (Accidentally of course) on open white and i can still see!

[CRAZY K]

I have looked into the beam of my Dynas (Accidentally of course) on open white and i can still see!

You obviously dont know any good NO WIN NO FEE lawyers.

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Are you really really sure you can see ;)

CRAZY K

[Jiggles]

Yes i can see perfectly well :D














As far as the end of my nose :D

[Corabar Steve]

Yeah, but you've got scorched retinas from all the explosions. :sj:

[Jiggles]

:lol:

[soundtracker]

the claim would ultimately be with the manufacturers, as it would be reasonable for you to expect the equipment to be totally safe, which of course it is.

er! This gun you sold me, its only gone and murdered someone.

[Dillmiester]

What I cant understand is, us humans intinctively move away from bright lights. Try staring at the sun on a bright day without glasses, its not comfortable so we dont do it for more than a few seconds. So the lady who has a complaint about being damaged by a disco light must have been staring directly at it for some time. In any case I doubt that would even cause any lasting symptoms.

[DJWilson]

Surely if that was possible I don't think acme would have passed all the H&S tests before going on sale.

I wouldn't worry about it, you have clearer nothing to worry about.

All the best

[soundmaster mobile disco]

I would not loose any sleep over this one.

What does your pli insurance have to say about this case?

[Andy Westcott]

er! This gun you sold me, its only gone and murdered someone.

Not quite the same thing - a gun is designed to ouput something capable of causing damage, this lighting effect isn't. :)

[DazzyD]

Does Simon still come on the forum? I haven't noticed him for some time. It would be interesting to hear about the outcome of this seeing as it happened last year.

[soundtracker]

Not quite the same thing - a gun is designed to ouput something capable of causing damage, this lighting effect isn't. :)
You miss my point - a manufacturer can't ne held responsible for how any item is mis-used.

[theoloyla]

Does Simon still come on the forum? I haven't noticed him for some time. It would be interesting to hear about the outcome of this seeing as it happened last year.
Indeed.:agree:

[Alsone]

Thats interesting, so what exactly is the criminal offence I am committing by having an exclusion clause?

Chapter and verse appreciated and actual statute reference--might this be --no I wont give any clues:D


thanks

CRAZY K


Off the top I can't remember as its quite obscure. If I find a reference, I will post it. It could have been repealed by the CPUTR 2008 below.

No doubt, as you are well aware, any attempt to exclude liability for personal injury is void by means of the Unfair Contract terms Act 1977 S.2 (1).

However, I should also add that under the new Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 there's a general duty not to trade using Unfair Commercial Practices (in addition to specific offences).

Whilst the scope of that phrase is still open to interpretation, an attempt to mislead a consumer into believing they have no rights to claim against your business for personal injury, could be considered an Unfair Commercial Practice not least of which because you are deliberately misleading them as to their rights under other legislation.

The maximum penalty under the CPUTR 2008 is 2 years in prison or an unlimited fine (Crown Court), £5,000 fine (Magistrates Court).

[Andy Westcott]

You miss my point - a manufacturer can't ne held responsible for how any item is mis-used.

If mis-used, yes, but this lighting was used presumably) exactly as intended, and there is the difference.

[nigelwright7557]

Just had a phone call from the local council health and saftey department that a lady two weeks ago has put in a complaint about the company as our acme dynamo's have burnt the lenses of her eyes and caused blindness in one eye.

Has anyone heard of anyone going blind from this? There is a chance she is going to sue us for this.

How would she prove this? How do we prove that it wasn't our lights, they were pointing at the dance floor all night and nobody said anything on the night about the lights shining in anyones faces.

I think the yare trying to pull a fast one.

1/ She cant prove it was your light that did it.
2/ Your innocent until proved guilty.
3/ Surely if she knew bright lights were a problem she shouldnt have gone to a disco !

I wouldnt lose any sleep over it.

[CRAZY K]

Off the top I can't remember as its quite obscure. If I find a reference, I will post it. It could have been repealed by the CPUTR 2008 below.

No doubt, as you are well aware, any attempt to exclude liability for personal injury is void by means of the Unfair Contract terms Act 1977 S.2 (1).

However, I should also add that under the new Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 there's a general duty not to trade using Unfair Commercial Practices (in addition to specific offences).

Whilst the scope of that phrase is still open to interpretation, an attempt to mislead a consumer into believing they have no rights to claim against your business for personal injury, could be considered an Unfair Commercial Practice not least of which because you are deliberately misleading them as to their rights under other legislation.

The maximum penalty under the CPUTR 2008 is 2 years in prison or an unlimited fine (Crown Court), £5,000 fine (Magistrates Court).

Crikey--ill check that out--yes im well aware of the Unfair Contract Terms Act but Im sure in its original form this was not included.

Must be the lunatics in Brussels that thought that one up.:eek: :eek: :eek:

CRAZY K

[spin mobile disco]

Liabilty can be shifted for example the recent court case over the bouncy castle insident. It wasnt the hired dcompany that was sued it was the Hiree as they were meant to assure safety and supervision. (im guessing the hire company had this in there terms and conditions as well)

I only use lasers and bubble machines if I have a signature from the client that they understand the risks and that if damages occur from said effect they are resposible. I have never had a problem with anyone refusing to sign for them. And they do not want to sign I do not use effect. Simply.
Had it checked by my solicitor and he said it was fine.
Maybe its rather a specific law area.

[theoloyla]

Does Simon still come on the forum? I haven't noticed him for some time. It would be interesting to hear about the outcome of this seeing as it happened last year.
Any ideas Daz?

[DazzyD]

Any ideas Daz?

This looks pretty grim at the moment. Simon hasn't posted here since May 08 so I went to check out his Soundscapes website but it's offline. I hope things haven't gone bad for him because of all of this. :(

[Jiggles]

No he has given up the Disco scene. :(

[One Vision]

Just had a phone call from the local council health and saftey department that a lady two weeks ago has put in a complaint about the company as our acme dynamo's have burnt the lenses of her eyes and caused blindness in one eye.

Has anyone heard of anyone going blind from this? There is a chance she is going to sue us for this.

How would she prove this? How do we prove that it wasn't our lights, they were pointing at the dance floor all night and nobody said anything on the night about the lights shining in anyones faces.

Hya Simon I wouldn't worry too much about it mate.
Of-course am no expert on this but I reckon you could sit staring at an 100w light bulb directly for a considerable time and have no effects other than a few funny stars until your eyes have re-adjusted themselves.

Was she waring jam jar glasses? that may increase it a bit ;)
I don't even think looking in to a 500w halogen security light would cause blindness?

Other than the obvious other affects of the high powered strobe I don't think even they are bright enough to cause such damage?
I don't even think the scanners are powerful enough to even create pure white light but more a slight yellow cast so far from enough to do damage.

If you were welding something at a gig then a good chance of weld flash but am pretty sure you were doing that :D