Narrative:

Takeoff runway 14L. Turned to ATC clearance heading 040 and climbing to 5;000'. Shortly before reaching 5;000' we were given a turn to a heading of north. Just as we were starting the turn I was clearing the outside of the turn and as I looked in the 1 o'clock position (estimate location the ord 040 radial for 8 DME approximately) I saw a blossoming brilliant green flash that startled me at first and I reflexively looked away. Estimate exposure to whatever it was to be about 2 seconds. We were busy with the climbout and clearances and because I was unsure as to what had just happened it wasn't reported to ord departure. Later in the flight; on reflecting on what I'd seen; I am convinced it was a laser illumination. We were late in our duty day but afterward my eyes felt more fatigued and irritated than normal. We called dispatch and the duty manager enroute and I had a short dialog on the incident with details covered. Because we were flying to a foreign destination and it was after midnight after we arrived there I didn't seek medical attention as I didn't feel my symptoms were sufficient. I didn't experience any after images; flash blindness; or anything as significant as that. After a night's sleep on awaking the only symptom I could perceive is additional sensitivity to light and I seemed to be blinking more than normal. I will continue to monitor for any after-effects. In summary; the incident was startling because the green flash was so bright and I had more of a concern afterward that even a brief exposure may have caused a change to my eyes. Would be very interested to hear if any other incidents were reported by departures from ord on the evening of our departure from the same location.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: An Air Carrier First Officer observed a green laser for about two seconds after departing ORD. Apparently he did not experience long lasting effects.

Narrative: Takeoff Runway 14L. Turned to ATC clearance heading 040 and climbing to 5;000'. Shortly before reaching 5;000' we were given a turn to a heading of north. Just as we were starting the turn I was clearing the outside of the turn and as I looked in the 1 o'clock position (estimate location the ORD 040 radial for 8 DME approximately) I saw a blossoming brilliant green flash that startled me at first and I reflexively looked away. Estimate exposure to whatever it was to be about 2 seconds. We were busy with the climbout and clearances and because I was unsure as to what had just happened it wasn't reported to ORD Departure. Later in the flight; on reflecting on what I'd seen; I am convinced it was a laser illumination. We were late in our duty day but afterward my eyes felt more fatigued and irritated than normal. We called dispatch and the Duty Manager enroute and I had a short dialog on the incident with details covered. Because we were flying to a foreign destination and it was after midnight after we arrived there I didn't seek medical attention as I didn't feel my symptoms were sufficient. I didn't experience any after images; flash blindness; or anything as significant as that. After a night's sleep on awaking the only symptom I could perceive is additional sensitivity to light and I seemed to be blinking more than normal. I will continue to monitor for any after-effects. In summary; the incident was startling because the green flash was so bright and I had more of a concern afterward that even a brief exposure may have caused a change to my eyes. Would be very interested to hear if any other incidents were reported by departures from ORD on the evening of our departure from the same location.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.