- Joined
- Feb 11, 2011
- Messages
- 134
- Points
- 18
Hi there.
This is a combination of an introduction thread and a first (very important safety) question thread.
About me: I first played around with lasers a lot in 1971, using 120V AC powered red laser units in big steel cases for theatrical effects. Nobody gave a thought to safety glasses or safety in general (we would be flicking laser beams through on-stage fog, towards a large live audience sitting and watching :wtf: ).
I still have a working laser unit that I played around with in the 1990's, built from a Uniphase HeNe module and a 14V power supply from Laser Drive, Inc.
I got away from the scene for a long time, but recently got re-engaged when the publicity around the Wicked Lasers "Light Saber" clued me in to the great advances that the hobby has made in recent years.
I'm in the process of building and acquiring a couple of units to experiment with. Due to the combination of accumulated maturity (I am 56 years old now), and a great deal of respect and fear for what the current state of the art allows hobbyists to buy, I have laser safety glasses for the first time in my life. I have two sets of safety glasses on hand already.
The problem is that I wear prescription eyeglasses. And I am having a very hard time achieving what I think is a Safe and Sane eye protection setup, so I am very worried about how I am going to proceed working with my new toys.
(I DID use the Search function to scour these forums already. Perhaps I did not use the Search function effectively, but I could not find ANY information about this question).
I really should not use powerful lasers wearing safety glasses, without also wearing my prescription bifocal eyeglasses. Without my eyeglasses, the world is a blur. I do not see targets clearly, I do not see clearly what might be near or behind targets, even the focusing ring on a hand-held unit is a blur to me. Fumbling around with these units in a blur is a pretty bad idea.
However, the two safety glasses that I already have (an Eagle Pair and some generic glasses with no brand label) do not (I think) work safely when worn over my bifocals. My bifocals push the safety glasses really far away from my face, so that there is PLENTY of room above, below, and to the sides of the lenses for a secondary reflection to come in and hit my eyes.
Plus, when my bifocals push the safety glasses out from my face,
the safety glasses are not very secure (they are loose and want to fall off).
My bifocals are not even large or protrusive. They are only about 1"x2", and I wear them pretty close to my eyes.
I seem to be caught between a rock and a hard place.
Am I missing something obvious? (Very possible at my advanced age).
What do all you folks who have to wear prescription lenses do for your eye protection?
This is a combination of an introduction thread and a first (very important safety) question thread.
About me: I first played around with lasers a lot in 1971, using 120V AC powered red laser units in big steel cases for theatrical effects. Nobody gave a thought to safety glasses or safety in general (we would be flicking laser beams through on-stage fog, towards a large live audience sitting and watching :wtf: ).
I still have a working laser unit that I played around with in the 1990's, built from a Uniphase HeNe module and a 14V power supply from Laser Drive, Inc.
I got away from the scene for a long time, but recently got re-engaged when the publicity around the Wicked Lasers "Light Saber" clued me in to the great advances that the hobby has made in recent years.
I'm in the process of building and acquiring a couple of units to experiment with. Due to the combination of accumulated maturity (I am 56 years old now), and a great deal of respect and fear for what the current state of the art allows hobbyists to buy, I have laser safety glasses for the first time in my life. I have two sets of safety glasses on hand already.
The problem is that I wear prescription eyeglasses. And I am having a very hard time achieving what I think is a Safe and Sane eye protection setup, so I am very worried about how I am going to proceed working with my new toys.
(I DID use the Search function to scour these forums already. Perhaps I did not use the Search function effectively, but I could not find ANY information about this question).
I really should not use powerful lasers wearing safety glasses, without also wearing my prescription bifocal eyeglasses. Without my eyeglasses, the world is a blur. I do not see targets clearly, I do not see clearly what might be near or behind targets, even the focusing ring on a hand-held unit is a blur to me. Fumbling around with these units in a blur is a pretty bad idea.
However, the two safety glasses that I already have (an Eagle Pair and some generic glasses with no brand label) do not (I think) work safely when worn over my bifocals. My bifocals push the safety glasses really far away from my face, so that there is PLENTY of room above, below, and to the sides of the lenses for a secondary reflection to come in and hit my eyes.
Plus, when my bifocals push the safety glasses out from my face,
the safety glasses are not very secure (they are loose and want to fall off).
My bifocals are not even large or protrusive. They are only about 1"x2", and I wear them pretty close to my eyes.
I seem to be caught between a rock and a hard place.
Am I missing something obvious? (Very possible at my advanced age).
What do all you folks who have to wear prescription lenses do for your eye protection?
