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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

Blue Light Hazard Questions

Joined
Jan 27, 2011
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4
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Hi Guys,

I'd like to tell my story here, and see what you all think. The other day a guy at the office brought in his 1W 445NM Arctic laser. He gave it to me to look at. Being not really at that point introduced to that powerful of a laser, I wasn't aware of all of the dangers. I knew not to look into the beam, but wasn't aware of the danger of just viewing the dot.

Upon receiving it to look at, one of the other guys holds up his black leather wallet and tells me to fire it at it, and see what it does. I aim and fire it, and within about a second, I realize that I probably shouldn't be looking at the dot, and turn away. The wallet was probably 2 to 3 feet away from me.

After I get back into my office, I started to do research into the laser, and have learned quite a bit since then. I now know I should have never have done what I did, but of course, hindsight is 20/20.

about 30 hours or so after being exposed, I noticed an after image dot was starting to appear in my right eye when I was looking at my computer screen. If I'm in a dark room, it seems to go away. I went to my optometrist, who looked into my eye and said he didn't see any burns or holes in my retina. I told him about some of the stuff I had read online about the blue light hazard, and he said he wasn't really aware about it as I was the first person to come in that had been exposed to a blue laser.

I guess, what I'm getting down to is, what is my likelihood of going blind from a delayed effect from the blue light. I can't find any list of symptoms I can watch out for online. Am I seeing the early symptoms of that 24 hours or longer blindness onset? The only thing I could see as being a potential saving grace is the laser was low on batteries and was unable to burn the wallet, so I'm hoping I didn't get a full dose.
 





rhd

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Joined
Dec 7, 2010
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You may not remember, but was it a shiny black leather wallet?

Second question, if it had been a mirror, not a wallet, can you sort of guess where the beam might have been reflected too?

I'm not going to share my thoughts, someone with more experience will surely chime in - but I think those two questions might be relevant.
 
Joined
Jan 27, 2011
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I Don't think it was shiny. It was the inside of the wallet, so I think it was matte black.

If it was a mirror, I'd say probably direct back at the laser. I was holding it close to my body to the left, and if I remember right, it was directly facing the laser and not held at an angle.
 
Joined
Jul 17, 2010
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Someone correct Me if I'm wrong. It's possible You are suffering the Blue light chemical effect with the green pigment washed out of the cells on your retina. If this is the case your vision should return to normal in time.
 
Joined
Sep 16, 2007
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I think that if you do have an after image, it is "normal" and should go away.

If you look hard enough for a problem you are sure to find one.
I would trust your doctor as he is the expert here, so I think there is no need to worry if he found no damage.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Nov 1, 2010
Messages
479
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Probably you were lucky this time and no harm done.

But let me tell you this:
That guy at the office is a complete IDIOT and careless guy. Such laser is definitely not a toy and he should have known it and shouldn't bring it to the office for a show off. This is exactly how accidents happen!
 

Bobby

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Joined
Dec 14, 2010
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Is it true that the green-leeching can affect your color percpetion for a long time (like 6 months)?

MikeMSD: look at some color charts / wheels, and tell us if you note any difference in colors ... blues being washed our or pale, greens looking different ,etc.

Like the others said, I sure hope it was a short term / no permanent harm thing!
 
Joined
Jan 27, 2011
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MikeMSD: look at some color charts / wheels, and tell us if you note any difference in colors ... blues being washed our or pale, greens looking different ,etc.

No, none of the colors appear washed out. I also took one of those online color blindness tests and was able to identify all the slides without a problem with either my left or right eye closed.

The after image feels like it's going away, and I haven't noticed any other changes in my vision, so I'm hopeful things are clearing up.
 

eexe

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Oct 27, 2010
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I think that some rest for your eyes would be good, some sleep and no computer.
 

mfo

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Bleaching from blue light takes many years, not one exposure.
 
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Ok mfo I thought it could be quick depending on exposure level. Good to know that's not the case.
 
Joined
Jan 29, 2011
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I think that some rest for your eyes would be good, some sleep and no computer.

yeah im sure the pc monitor has done more damage looking up online to find out if he has a problem lol :drool:
 
Joined
Oct 26, 2007
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I'm happy the OP had the good sense to see an optometrist. Sometimes folk will come here and ask "oh hey, I think I might be going blind, what should I do?" only to be told to immediately go see a doctor. "Oh I'll do it when I have time... my eyes don't matter THAT much."
 
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Thanks FutureOne. I actually did some independent research and started taking supplements of A and C. It'll be two weeks tomorrow, and my vision seems to be doing fine so far. The after image dot has disappeared. I think I overreacted a bit, but I'd rather overreact and protect my vision.

I would like to make a plea to those that have these lasers, if you are going to show them off to someone, make sure to add a warning to them not to turn them on without eye protection. Please don't assume that the person is aware of the dangers, or won't activate it.
 
Joined
Aug 17, 2010
Messages
92
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Hi Guys,

I'd like to tell my story here, and see what you all think. The other day a guy at the office brought in his 1W 445NM Arctic laser. He gave it to me to look at. Being not really at that point introduced to that powerful of a laser, I wasn't aware of all of the dangers. I knew not to look into the beam, but wasn't aware of the danger of just viewing the dot.

Upon receiving it to look at, one of the other guys holds up his black leather wallet and tells me to fire it at it, and see what it does. I aim and fire it, and within about a second, I realize that I probably shouldn't be looking at the dot, and turn away. The wallet was probably 2 to 3 feet away from me.

After I get back into my office, I started to do research into the laser, and have learned quite a bit since then. I now know I should have never have done what I did, but of course, hindsight is 20/20.

about 30 hours or so after being exposed, I noticed an after image dot was starting to appear in my right eye when I was looking at my computer screen. If I'm in a dark room, it seems to go away. I went to my optometrist, who looked into my eye and said he didn't see any burns or holes in my retina. I told him about some of the stuff I had read online about the blue light hazard, and he said he wasn't really aware about it as I was the first person to come in that had been exposed to a blue laser.

I guess, what I'm getting down to is, what is my likelihood of going blind from a delayed effect from the blue light. I can't find any list of symptoms I can watch out for online. Am I seeing the early symptoms of that 24 hours or longer blindness onset? The only thing I could see as being a potential saving grace is the laser was low on batteries and was unable to burn the wallet, so I'm hoping I didn't get a full dose.

hindsight may be 20/20

but your vision might not be anymore
 




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