Page 3 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast
Results 21 to 30 of 40

Thread: Your Laser Is Dangerous!

  1. #21
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Florida
    Posts
    4,382

    Default

    How 'bout "Your danger is Laserous"?

  2. #22
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Posts
    2,478

    Default

    Yeah, that ought to make people look at least twice. I think they'd click a link like that.

  3. #23
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Posts
    142

    Default Chinese laser goggles

    Quote Originally Posted by Jem View Post
    I agree!!

    There definately ought to be some sort of warning regarding laser safety/disassembly etc before first time users are allowed onto the forum. Maybe an email to all new members to reinforce the message?

    My job is working in Ophthalmic Optics. there are people who visit us that have been flash blinded, (usually but not exclusively from long term welding etc). These people are distraught when they are told that there is nothing that can be done to repair their sight and they will have to live with the holes in their vision for the rest of their life.

    For some reason people always seem to think that 'they' are invincible and have the attitude "It won't happen to me".

    It's a shame that good laser goggles are so expensive, but I can't think of a better investment for anyone messing around with lasers.

    Cheers

    Jem
    We have cheap Chinese goggles costing $50. It is OD>=4, that is to say 0,01 percent power goes through. for example, 0.1mw will leak if the laser is 1W.

    I put one goggle in the beam 120mw 473nm to read out 0.1mW. I see nothing. The 0.1mW might be the fluorescence induced by the laser. I see yellow-white in the plasticlike material of the goggle. When wearing it, i can not see the beam, but i can see yellowwhite spot on wall or on hand whatever stop the beam. I didnot mention, the goggle begins to melt if i stay it 2 seconds.

    David
    Lasever Inc.
    www.lasever.com
    Innovation manufacturer for DPSS Lasers Blue Green and Red

  4. #24
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Yorkshire, UK
    Posts
    4,585

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Lasever View Post
    I didnot mention, the goggle begins to melt if i stay it 2 seconds.
    I think that pretty much says it all really...

    If the goggles melt with 120Mw of 473nm Blue, imagine whats going to happen to your retina once that beam has been focussed through the lens in your eye

    Jem

  5. #25
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Netherlands
    Posts
    983

    Default

    David,
    At which wavelengths do your goggles block light?

    I think this group could greatly benefit from more affordable laser protection. Personally I would like to have "RGB" goggles, thus blocking 660-650, 532 and 473 nm light and have some visibility inbetween. These would do for most of us (although some might have 635 red and/or 400- 457 nm blue, the wishlist could go on like blocking all IR).

    Would it be possible to have something like 'RGB goggles' made affordable?

    edit: with blocking I mean having high optical density, enough to protect.
    Last edited by Zoof; 03-28-2007 at 01:10.

  6. #26
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Netherlands
    Posts
    983

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Jem View Post
    My job is working in Ophthalmic Optics. there are people who visit us that have been flash blinded, (usually but not exclusively from long term welding etc). These people are distraught when they are told that there is nothing that can be done to repair their sight and they will have to live with the holes in their vision for the rest of their life.
    Jem
    Jem, sounds like you know first hand how laser-like eye damage manifestates itself. I would be interested in knowing more about how the 'victims' experience this - what exactly do the holes in one's vision look like?
    Besides educational info it might also help to really stress the point of safety.

    About the guy with the broken pointer, there is the danger that we scared him away by saying "do not do this, it is dangerous" and he might be reading some place where his pointer is less dangerous - meaning where safety is not stressed as much. (just a thought)

  7. #27
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Yorkshire, UK
    Posts
    4,585

    Default

    In between trying to do some real work i'm searching through old issues of Ophthalology journals etc. So far i've only turned up a couple of interesting articles that relate to laser pointers and eye damage. If you're interested in this stuff it may be worth a read...

    http://bjo.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/83/10/1164
    Bear in mind that the above link was from a survey in 1999, before the days of DPSS!

    http://www.uni-duesseldorf.de/WWW/Me...nter_engl.html

    Once I find an authoritative article on actual damage caused I will post either the article or a web link (if there is one).

    Cheers

    Jem

    Just found another interesting link...
    http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2005-rst/2800.html
    Last edited by Jem; 03-28-2007 at 01:59. Reason: Add link

  8. #28
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Posts
    2,478

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Zoof View Post
    Jem, sounds like you know first hand how laser-like eye damage manifestates itself. I would be interested in knowing more about how the 'victims' experience this - what exactly do the holes in one's vision look like?
    I have a small blurry spot of damage to my left eye. It's not from a laser, but from examining a bright and unusual cloud as sun approached the edge. It took long enough that I was not aware that the brightness already reached dangerous levels before the cloud cleard the sun''s light path. The effect is a kind of dead pixel effect, blurry and small, slightly like a midge slowly flying at a range too close for focus. It's mildly irritating, at worst. The only reason it's not dead centre, and really annoying, is I always look at strong or suspect light sources without trying to focus exactly on them. That does two things, it keeps it out of the centre where detail is important, and it prevents the focus from being as damaging as it might have been.

    Besides educational info it might also help to really stress the point of safety.

    About the guy with the broken pointer, there is the danger that we scared him away by saying "do not do this, it is dangerous" and he might be reading some place where his pointer is less dangerous - meaning where safety is not stressed as much. (just a thought)
    We can't stress safety unless we say a thing is dangerous. And he probably was reading, he was logged in for a while last night.

    I think Steve-o's "Your Danger Is Laserous" should be the thread title in the finished version. It focusses on the problem exactly, as concisely as the original statement, but has the kind of wordplay that makes people want to look further. It's perfect for getting attention.



    EDIT:Nasty thought: Some cheapo green DPSS's are PULSED! Imagine what happens when some poor sod gazes into the little dim red light of one of those... If it hit their optic nerve they might lose that eye, totally, instantly, permanently. It would only take two or three cases of that level of injury after dissection to get all green pointers and cheap DJ systems banned in several countries and DPSS restricted to highly controlled OEM sales. Unless we want to risk most of our access being policed into oblivion, we're going to have to manage the risks and safety effectively ourselves. Better to jump than wait to be pushed.
    Last edited by The_Doctor; 03-28-2007 at 03:36.

  9. #29
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Florida
    Posts
    4,382

    Default

    How about a visual aid?
    They say a picture...
    (Pardon my "artwork")
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails DANGER-IR7.JPG  

    Last edited by steve-o; 03-28-2007 at 06:24.

  10. #30
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Florida
    Posts
    4,382

    Default

    Spec, are you there?
    What do you think would be the best approach to laser safety guidelines for the laser newbie logging on here for the first time?
    Steve

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •