How dangerous are class III 405nm laser pointers?

As far as eye injury is concerned. The reason I ask is because I almost feel as if my eyes have become worse in the period of time after I got my 405nm pointer (<5mw).

Is reflected light (off white paper for example) dangerous? How about fluorescent light reflections?

Thanks.

In theory, matte (non-specular) reflections from class 3B lasers are eye-safe when viewed from a reasonable distance, and it is entirely possible that the effect you perceive is just the placebo effect (or in this case - nocebo?). Direct hits, and specular (glossy) reflections carry a higher risk. However, the fluorescence effect actually produces some pretty intense non-laser light on its own - so you may well be dazzled or temporarily affected by it, especially when viewed in a darkened room. Violet and blue high-intensity light can also cause semi-permanent changes to happen in the eye and change your colour response slightly. If you're in doubt, speak to a qualified eye doctor and get your eyes checked.

Quick point - fluorescence isn't actually reflection, but a different process.

Thanks for the quick reply. I definitely have been careful to not directly view the beam or specular reflections. I have however observed the dot (from diffuse surfaces) from ~18-24" quite often.

Fluorescence should be nothing more than a bright light. Any UV will have been transformed into a different wavelength.

You very may well be correct about the placebo effect. My vision has been extremely sharp in the past 20/10. Last time I was tested I was in the 20/15 range and I have another eye test next week, so that should give me another data point.

Well interestingly enough I got in contact with Casio in Tokyo about the new projection technology. This is what they had to say.

445nm laser diodes are COMPLETELY UNSAFE to be used outside of the projector and this has casio quite worried. This quote is from their email to me.

Upon digging around, here is what I found.

Not only is 445nm highly visible to our eyes, this kind of projector we are dealing with is using +500mW per diode which is class IV.

1) Even a reflection off a shiny surface puts you at great risk of loosing your eyesight via secondary exposure.
2) 445nm due to the optical properties of this spectrum of light it is known to cause chemical changes within the eye. Immediate thermal effects on the retina have been observed. One possibile injury is Photochemical cataracts.

3) Skin burn hazard is very real, but again these are the least of your worries. You can feel if your skin is being burnt quickly, but you may not feel eye damage until it is too late. It is also possible to have all sorts of photochemical sensitizations of your skin due to the characteristics of this kind of blue light.

4) There is also a risk of fire from a non/partially focussed beam from these lasers.
These diodes can be run at 2x their rated capacity as they are to be run for long
periods of time. 1Watt of 445nm is more than enough to cause a fire at considerable distances even if partially focussed.