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FrozenGate by Avery

Looked at dot of a 2w Laser - Eye damage?

N

Nonsense

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Feb 13, 2012
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Hi there,

I went to a market I Phuket, Thailand today and found a green 2000mw laser.
I always wanted to buy a laser but I didn't really know anything about it... That one looked pretty cool but it was quite expensive so I wrote down what it said on it (wavelength 532nm, 2000mw) and googled it to find out how strong it was...
Was quite shocked when I saw results like "2000mw laser vs. random stuff" etc...

My question now: when I found it on the market, I Played around with it and I pointed it to the floor and I think one metal thing and looked at the dot (twice probably not longer then 10sec all together). It was really bright but since I didn't know HOW strong the laser was, I didnt really think about it - until I read that a normal laser pointer has 1-5mw.

So is it possible that I damaged my eyes by looking at the dot on the floor?
I'm kind of scared but I couldn't say that I'd notice anything so far.

I'd appreciate some advice. Thanks n.
 
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Did it make spots in your vision like when you see the sun?

Just because someone put 2000mw on the label does not mean the laser is actually 2000mw. It's quite common for higher powered lasers to be under-spec.

Personally, I suspect what you were holding was more like 200mw.. and probably underspec. The label maker might have just added an extra 0 to trick the gullible.

An actual 2W green laser will have a CLEARLY visible beam during daytime, like this:
 
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Chances are, your eyes are fine.

If you are concerned though you should see an ophthalmologist or at least an optometrist who can dilate your eyes and take a look at your retina.

There is also absolutely zero chance you were playing around with a 2W green laser. Maybe 200mW at most. Lasers are often mislabeled, especially in places like phuket.

Read the stickies in the laser safety section for more information, and welcome to the forum.
 
I don't think they are selling 2000mW green laser at the market. I have a 30mW green laser, measured with LPM, that is blindingly bright. You wouldn't know that it is only 30mW but the dot is already too bright to look at. You might have been hit by a low power green.
 
I don't really remember because I was just surprised how bright it was and I turned if off pretty fast. But the beam was clearly visible and it was it was Really bright in the place so I'm quite sure the laser was pretty strong even if it wasn't full 2w. It also had a little lock and a key so you could lock it to make sure it won't go off by mistake.

If my eyes were damaged in any way, what would it be like?

I don't have any black spots and I can see everything normal. It just feels as if my eyes are hurting a little but I think that's more because I'm extremely tired and also it might just be imagination because I'm freaking out about the whole thing - before I found out how strong the laser was I didn't notice anything.
 
You can do an armature eye test on yourself by looking at different colored objects with different portions of your vision. If objects lose their color when they enter certain parts of your visual field then you may have a problem.

If you think you may have vision problems you should go see an eye doctor. They can tell you yes or no. We on the forum can't actually tell you conclusively one way or another.

All we can say is that the laser wasn't 2000mw despite what the label said, but irregardless of that there is still a chance of eye damage.
 
Ok thanks for your quick responses... I just did this little test and everything seems to be good. Since I didnt notice anything before I found out about the strength of the laser I don't think it caused any damage.
It's still scary though because I tought lasers you can just buy on the streets would only cause serious eye damage if you stare directly in to them for more the a second...

One last question:
Even if the laser is not 2000mw I still think about buying it (and yes I'd definitely more careful after what I read about lasers over here)...
So how strong could it be? Is there any way to find out? It was definitely stronger then any laser i've seen so far and friends of mine brought lasers from Thailand and hongkong before. The quality is probably pretty bad though as it only costs about aus $ 60.
 
Based on your description I would expect it to be somewhere between 80mw and 200mw.
 
Be sure to also get appropriate laser safety glasses for the 532nm wave length. Sunglasses are not appropriate.

Glenn
 
What I understand from reading several accidents:

Being surprised - fine
Seeing afterimages - getting close, but you are probably fine
Seeing afterimages for unusually long time - fuzzy region ..
Afterimages after an hour - probably some minor damage, better see doctor
Blurriness in vision, impossible to read normal text, obvious dark spots in vision - bet there is some damage. Go to ambulance NOW.
Red tint to vision - blood in the eye, must be treated ASAP. This can lead infection and to loss of a whole eye. Require retinal inspection, some ambulances are not equipped for this, and without other symptoms, you can be sent home !
Pain - also bad news. Rather serious damage can occur without pain. If you feel some pain, chances are it's bad.

Mind I'm not doctor though, it's just a nick ..
 
After images can vary based on the WL and exposure time even if it was not enough to do damage. It's possible to get the pigment for the color depleted. You'll notice this with red lasers making green look yellow for a bit and so on.
 
I'd suggest that everyone on this forums should know where the nearest hospital is that can treat eye injuries. Simply so they don't go through what Xoul had to (with the driving to another hospital after being turned away by the first) That delay in finding the right hospital could cost you your eye.

Read this, it's only a 1W laser but the potential for this happening with any laser is there.

Lase

Edit: You should also check this out for some good deals on quality safety goggles.
 
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Guys, thanks again for the quick and helpful answers!
I'm sure it didn't cause any damage to my eyes, everything is normal, no after images, black spots or whatsoever. Still I was really scared at first and I'm glad that I now know about the power of lasers. Like I said before I never knew that its that easy to get lasers that can actually be dangerous for you.

On the other side the whole thing really woke my interest in lasers and stuff ;)
But I'm not gonna touch any powerful lasers without probed safety wear anymore...
 
Nonsense said:
On the other side the whole thing really woke my interest in lasers and stuff ;)
But I'm not gonna touch any powerful lasers without probed safety wear anymore...
Click to expand...

Yeah, remember safety :p

I dont suggest you to buy that laser, maybe order better laser from lazerer or o-like.
 
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