20mw-30mw 532nm Laser Question

I am thinking about buying a 20mw 532nm green laser. I am wondering If, by accident, it were to quickly flash in my eye (blink reflex time) if it would cause any damage. I am not talking about staring for long term

Just like people, every eye is different so literally no one can answer this. Also damage isnt always immediate, could be 1 second for it to show or could be 5 years. Just dont do it, simple as that

I know not to shine it into my eye, common sense, but there is always a chance of a quick flash in my eye. So before I buy it, I want to know If it will do damage before my blink reflex kicks in, because 5mw are considered "eye safe" because it won't do damage before your blink reflex kicks in. Just wondering if it is also same with 20mw.

Seldovia said:

I know not to shine it into my eye, common sense, but there is always a chance of a quick flash in my eye. So before I buy it, I want to know If it will do damage before my blink reflex kicks in, because 5mw are considered "eye safe" because it won't do damage before your blink reflex kicks in. Just wondering if it is also same with 20mw.

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In a simple answer no it is not.

5mW is fine if you quickly get "flashed". Above 5mW every mW increase will cause more damage during your blink reflex, 5mW is the limit to where you will not receive any damage to your eye.

About 20mW I would try my best to avoid getting hit in the eye. This may be considered "low-powered" for some, but 20mW can still pack a punch to your eyes.

A brief direct hit from 20mW won't be nice, an extended one will very likely knacker parts of your vision. People have been blinded @ 100mW. Viewing the dot or a diffused reflection is less hazardous but you still need to use extreme caution. I all but won't view the dot on my own 100mW, except *VERY* briefly, defocussed, and on a dark carpet, and we're talking split second, corner of the eye glances. Don't even think about burning stuff without safety glasses as you obviously have to look to see what you're doing and that means extended staring at the dot the laser produces.

There's a guy on YouTube who burnt 3 distinctive dots into the sensor of his camera by pointing a DPSS laser at an array of mirrors for not very long at all. Fair enough it was a 1W laser, but a camera's image sensor is a hell of a lot harder than a fleshy eyeball and the mirrors were not even pointed at the camera.
DPSS Laser + Damages Camera - YouTube

trencheel303 said:

There's a guy on YouTube who burnt 3 distinctive dots into the sensor of his camera by pointing a DPSS laser at an array of mirrors for not very long at all. Fair enough it was a 1W laser, but a camera's image sensor is a hell of a lot harder than a fleshy eyeball and the mirrors were not even pointed at the camera.
DPSS Laser + Damages Camera - YouTube

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this guy is a ultra hardcore freak in every electrical way! but the last outside shots, are those from his 1W laser? did i miss sth. or how is that possible? it looks like the one from the BERLIN laser thread!

lasermanXYZ said:

this guy is a ultra hardcore freak in every electrical way! but the last outside shots, are those from his 1W laser? did i miss sth. or how is that possible? it looks like the one from the BERLIN laser thread!

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I think it's quite feasible. Here in the UK it's really common to have damp drizzly days where the conditions are almost like fog or mist. In his video it looked like one of those nights, which is probably why the laser was so visible. He's got mega balls though, I'd have thought police would be all over that.

I have a BS in Biomedical Engineering, so I can read & interpret different studies. One I read, which dealt in a lot more detail in optics than I have, I gathered that for most people, up to 50mW, you may experience some discomfort & afterimage, but it is unlikely to cause burning of the retinal cells. There are layers of pigmented cells in the rods/cones of your eye that slowly regenerate if the retina is healthy. Sometimes a bright light may cause some of these cells to lose some of their receptivity to stimuli, but as the pigment regenerates, your vision should return to normal.

It's important to note that some substances frequently consumed at shows increases the size of the pupil, which allows more light into the eye.

You may want to be concerned with the IR output, as it may be higher than the laser spec.

Long story short, take precautions to avoid situations where eye contact may occur. (reflective surfaces), but know that permanent damage is unlikely with a 20mW output.

anything over 5mW can cause some nasty damage as i dont think u might blink fast enough so best to use caution most think its only 30mW it wont do damage where in fact it can.