Laser pointer eye damage

[D_o_S]

Hi,

this question has been bugging me for ages...

I attend a lot of class and lectures where somebody is waving around a laser pointer... I think these lecturers need better education on what these things are capable of.

However, my question is: can a laser pointer damage your eye even if you don't look into the beam? AFAIK, the laser beam is collimated, i.e. there is 100% energy in the beam (focused in a tube of diameter like 3mm) and 0% outside it. So, if somebody points the laser at my chest, is there any risk of eye damage? Provided that the laser doesn't slip from his hand and go into my eye OFC...

Thanks.

[BossSauce]

Troll thread

[D_o_S]

What? Someone with 4 posts calling me a troll?

[reeltime]

I don't think the laser can hurt your eye unless its being shined into your eye. I'm no scientist though :

[scorcherjf]

You pretty much said it yourself. The laser's full energy/light is focused in a very narrow beam so as long as you don't look directly down the barrel it shouldn't damage your eye. They could even shine it at your eye but if you're looking somewhere else the full amount of energy wouldn't make its way down to your retina.

[Wakka]

Ok fine, i will call you a troll. Laser pointers (99% of them at least) are 5mW. That is nothing. Even if it was shined in your eye (i dont recommend) it wouldn't be that bad as long as it was not for a sustained period of time.

Ever been to a laser show? Those things are substantially more powerful (50+mW) and even then... you can look at it so long as the beam is not directly into your eyes. You think something would so readily available if it was damaging to your eyes by looking at it no matter where it is? You have to either be 12, mentally challenged, or a troll to not be able to even figure this out on your own.



Space Ibiza is the above photo. They nail the crowd all the time, i dont think anyone has ever become blind from it. In the USA it is illegal to shine them into eyes, planes, or cars. If you want a laser more powerful than 5mW you need to get a license.

/thread

[GregTheStig]

[Joekerr]

Originally Posted by D_o_S

Hi,

this question has been bugging me for ages...

I attend a lot of class and lectures where somebody is waving around a laser pointer... I think these lecturers need better education on what these things are capable of.

However, my question is: can a laser pointer damage your eye even if you don't look into the beam? AFAIK, the laser beam is collimated, i.e. there is 100% energy in the beam (focused in a tube of diameter like 3mm) and 0% outside it. So, if somebody points the laser at my chest, is there any risk of eye damage? Provided that the laser doesn't slip from his hand and go into my eye OFC...

Thanks.

You do realize of course, that the responses you will receive in this thread do not constitute expert opinion; and thus you may not rely on them for the pending lawsuit you have planned for your school right?

[Kontra]

A red laser should do minimal damage even when pointed directly into your eye, and I'd hope your professors aren't swinging around anything more powerful than red.

[Wakka]

I actually am certified and own laser systems. just cant believe OP is that ignorant.

[Wakka]

Originally Posted by Kontra

A red laser should do minimal damage even when pointed directly into your eye, and I'd hope your professors aren't swinging around anything more powerful than red.

why would the nm (color) of the laser matter?

That will blow your eyes out. but its RED!!! Stare at it please...

And if you think thats crazy... thats just a class 3B laser.

Here is a class 4:

[Kontra]

I mean speaking handheld lasers that would be used in class, the typical red laser shouldn't do damage compared to a green laser?! I thought the color had something to do with it.

[BossSauce]

op just wants to sue and get money. WHAT A BALLER

[Wakka]

The color is just the wavelength of the laser.

Since you didnt learn the visible spectrum in school here ya go:



Thats all there is to it.

[BossSauce]

Originally Posted by Wakka

The color is just the wavelength of the laser.

Since you didnt learn the visible spectrum in school here ya go:


Thats all there is to it.

[grimlock]

This is the guy that asked "How do you tighten a bolt"..

[upstatedoc]

http://www.google.com/url?q=http://w...HaX-cgGT7zEcTA

[D_o_S]

Originally Posted by grimlock

This is the guy that asked "How do you tighten a bolt"..

Yep, thats right. If you want to call me a troll, then fine... I'm not worried about asking about anything, since I feel only true and complete knowledge of any matter at hand will lead to perfect results.

I'm not going to sue my school, I'm not in the states...

Thanks for the replies...

[carve]

sunlight is about 1.4 mW per square mm on a clear, bright day. If a laser is a 3mm circle, it has an area of about 7 mm^2.

5mW/7 = .71 mW per square mm. This explains why the laser sight on my pistol is so difficult to see in daylight- it only has about half the power of the ambient light.

Do you worry about sunlight hitting your chest, or just looking at the sun? Is it a big deal if you look at the sun for just a moment?

[grimlock]

Originally Posted by D_o_S

Yep, thats right. If you want to call me a troll, then fine... I'm not worried about asking about anything, since I feel only true and complete knowledge of any matter at hand will lead to perfect results.

I'm not going to sue my school, I'm not in the states...

Thanks for the replies...

You're not a troll, just an OCD.
This the the third thread ..
Do you want us to define "is" for you again?

[Kontra]

the internet at its finest.

[justinnum1]

100% yes. depednds what kind of laser. One of these will fuck you up. http://www.wickedlasers.com.hk/arctic