Will normal UV sheilded sunglasses work?

since most any pair of sunglasses you can buy for $10+ say they are UV shielded(stickers on the front)
will they work as safety glasses for blu-ray lasers at 407nm?

I think the consensus was that since the UV spectrum was so close to bluray, that it would work, like for accidental reflections and stuff, but for direct exposure it would not hold up.

The pair of sunglasses I have seem to drop the power of my blu-ray significantly. This is interesting, because the sunglasses do nothing to my greenies and redies.

In fact, I've found that my goggles for red will also drop the blu-ray off quite dramatically, it it's the same with my goggles for green as well :-?

SOME yes, some NO... best luck is the orange amber full UV blocking lenses. Bring your blue ray and test 'em

Sunglasses do nothing for you. The whole idea behind laser protective glasses is to prevent eye damage to exposure levels that can cause eye damage. Indirect viewing of laser light can be safe provided the reflected light entering the eye is below a level to cause permanent damage (often considered the class IIIa level or <5mW). Even such exposure can cause temporary flash blindness. When, however, an accidental direct exposure occurs or a high mW reflection happens, that is the time you need the protection the most and it is the time the sunglasses will fail. They fail because under large exposures the dyes in the acrylic, or polycarbonate simply bleach as the sunglass manufacturer has no mandate to provide protection from laser light. With bleached lenses you get the full impact to the eye.

What constitutes large exposures? In reality it can be anything. As stated the manufacturer has no obligation to design a lens that protects from laser light. They only meet the requirements to polarize specific wavelengths to provide general UV protection from sunlight (a very diffuse exposure, comparatively). One manufacturer's lens might hold up for a second before bleaching. Another might bleach instantly. You cannot tell because that is not what they are constructed for.

By the way, never, let me reiterate, never expose your protective glasses to direct laser light. The lenses are designed to protect you for no less than 10 seconds of direct exposure (FDA and CE requirements). If you are blasting your glasses you are slowly bleaching the protective dyes and thus making them useless. If you want them to last a long time, then use them as they are indicated.

Read the original post more carefully, he's not asking about sunglasses and lasers, he's asking about UV sunglasses and 405nm lasers. The UV spectrum is under 400nm, so the UV blocking feature in the sunglasses should protect against some BR light.

According to the ANSI Z80.3-2001 standard, the compliable lens should have a UVB (280 to 315nm) transmittance of no more than one per cent and a UVA (315 to 380nm) transmittance of no more than 0.5 times of the visual light transmittance.

Nope 405nm doesn't fall into the requirement for UV blocking sunglasses. Once again, UV blocking SUNGLASSES are not designed to protect against 405nm LASERS per the ANSI standard.

Dont mess with the chimp

I'm definitely noticing a significant drop when shining the laser threw my sunglasses though...

This calls for a scientific approach Someone with a power meter, shine the laser into it with and without sunglasses. That'll settle this once and for all

Sunglasses reduce VLT across a broad band and often polarize the light that is passed providing glare reduction and better sharpness (dependent on the designed wavelength), so yeah you will see a reduction in brightness. That is the nature of sunglasses. But this in no way provides any kind of protection because you don't know when the lens will fail.

I realize most of the members on this site have no idea what standards are and why they are in place, but they are designed to save your butt, and in this case your eyes. Standards have been devised because people will always do the minimum they think is required to get by so manufacturers have to bear the responsibility, by law, to protect those who would otherwise allow ignorance to rule. It's just another example of the government protecting people from themselves. Unfortunately, those who would choose to injure, maim and kill themselves due to their own ignorance or incompetence, are not allowed to do so in modern societies. It would certainly deepen the gene pool which in today's day and age is much too shallow.

Lasers were never designed to be toys, yet here we are with kids capable purchasing laser pointers rated in the hundreds of milliwatts. It not from a lack of laws. It comes from a premeditated decision by foreign laser companies to cash in on people regardless of the dangers involved despite import restrictions by a country. Yeah, a "light device" on the customs form is an accurate description but funny, the harmonized tariff code is not what is in the box. That is an intentional violation of law designed for one thing, and one thing only: get a laser pointer into the hands of someone so we can profit without regard to safety, training, or the rule of law.

The facts are the facts; they are available. Because the manufacturers could care less if you blind yourself and countries that restrict the import cannot make these companies accountable nor identify all illegal imports, it comes down to the user to operate the systems in a responsible and safe manner. I've said it time and again, part of the responsibility of ownership and the cost of the hobby is to acquire the proper safety equipment so you or someone else doesn't become a statistic and set off a chain of events similar to what has happened in Australia. That is the responsibility you bear in owning a laser. If you cannot live up to that responsibility, you have no business wrecking it for everyone else.

I have no sympathy for anyone who takes a shot to the eye when it can be so easily prevented with the proper safety gear. I hear the famous statement on a regular basis, "but I cannot see the beam." You are not supposed to see the beam if a laser is used in a fashion for which they are designed. The whole idea of laser safety eyewear is to prevent the very light you want to see from reaching your eye. Some systems require visualizing a low intensity beam but they are for alignment purposes only; generally for much more powerful laser systems. Thus you can get safety glasses in low OD which often are perfect for lower power lasers. They are also very inexpensive, comparatively. I'm sorry if some of you cannot afford to purchase a laser and eyewear but that is the point I'm trying to make. If you cannot afford the safety equipment you should not be in the hobby.

I'm sorry if I have been harsh but I cannot stand by, with my background, and education in this industry and let you risk your vision because of hunches or flawed logic. Of course I cannot stop anyone from doing what they will but don't expect any sympathy from me. In fact, expect me to laugh and give you a really good, "I told you so speech."

Oh and here's a little food for thought. Everytime a laser related injury occurs and is treated, it is reported to the FDA (in the U.S. anyway). Those reports provide the impetus for lawmakers to restrict laser sales. Do any of you want to be the final straw that outlaws pointers like in Australia. It was ignorance by bafoons that got pointers banned in Australia. Don't blame the government. Yes, it was a kneejerk reaction but the government's duty is to protect all citizens and it certainly doesn't require a person to kill hundreds of people on an airliner to force a government to act. It will continue to happen around the world as a few idiots continue to spoil it for all. Do what you are supposed to do with a sense of responsibility and it will extend the time you are allowed to own personal laser systems.

Nice post.

But it doesn't really answer my question. I certainly wouldn't use sunglasses to protect my eyes regardless of the results, but I'm still curious to see what the actual power drop is when going through them. And the power drop for other glasses too.

This is more out of curiosity than 'I want to use sunglasses for this purpose'. Science is all about curiosity and how things work, so that's why I propose a scientific experiment to determine the effect of sunglasses on blu-ray properly.

wow, i just got owned by a chimp.
Thanks for clearing that up, and if i ever get a high powered laser, then i'll sure as hell be getting some glasses,

My intention is not to own anyone but I am very adamant about the safety aspects of laser operation particularly in the enthusiast realm because, frankly, that is where the information is needed the most. All laboratories fall under OSHA and are therefore required to have protection but enthusiast may be a bit lax when it come to it. My job is to make sure, with all due diligence, that someone does not injure themselves because of false beliefs or a misunderstanding regarding standards or capabilities of protective systems.

I'm just a member of this forum with no special standing but I do have a large amount of experience and being the opinionated b*stard that I am you get to hear about it when I see the train beginning to derail. My company sells protective eyewear, but frankly you can buy from whomever you wish without any pressure from me as long as what you buy meets the standards for safety. If you can get them cheaper elsewhere, more power to you. My company will not go out of business over it.

FrothyChimp said:

My intention is not to own anyone but I am very adamant about the safety aspects of laser operation particularly in the enthusiast realm because, frankly, that is where the information is needed the most. All laboratories fall under OSHA and are therefore required to have protection but enthusiast may be a bit lax when it come to it. My job is to make sure, with all due diligence, that someone does not injure themselves because of false beliefs or a misunderstanding regarding standards or capabilities of protective systems.

I'm just a member of this forum with no special standing but I do have a large amount of experience and being the opinionated b*stard that I am you get to hear about it when I see the train beginning to derail. My company sells protective eyewear, but frankly you can buy from whomever you wish without any pressure from me as long as what you buy meets the standards for safety. If you can get them cheaper elsewhere, more power to you. My company will not go out of business over it.

Click to expand...

Please give this man chimp the CHIMP OF THE YEAR AWARD. seriously, frothy you're one of the most helpful and smartest members.

That really should be required reading for joining the forum.

why argue.. test the laser on a meter thru the sunglasses... question answered