Would it be safe to look at 1.6W dot?

killas291 · Jun 4, 2014

As the title says pretty much. Would it be safe to look at a laser dot on a white or black walls without glasses?

Thank you.

Down with Umbrella · Jun 4, 2014

Depends how close your are to the wall. White is pretty reflective, black may absorb more light but as a rule of thumb use caution with lasers inside. Certainly need glasses when lighting matches or burning things. Also be mindful who could inadvertently be exposed.

Even outside look up for planes we sure don't need that attention. Lase safe!

trencheel303 · Jun 4, 2014

mine is pretty bright if I shine it around after sun down. On the dark carpet is ok, the walls can be a bit much unless I avert my vision. It will be fine briefly, but don't make a habit of it - an overload of blue light is particularly bad for the eyes.

KrowBar · Jun 4, 2014

While observing the dot on a wall 15 feet away might not cause any damage, it is still not what I would call safe. Looking around the forums a bit you will see that people have had several close calls where the dot momentarily hit a specular surface, or the laser moved in an unexpected way that resulted in some sort of beam directed toward the face. Most dot viewing can be done comfortably with protective goggles (like seeing how the dot changes size when making focus adjustments). We all like seeing beams though, which will be blocked by the glasses. If you want to do indoor beam viewing then make absolute sure that the only surfaces that the beam can possibly hit are matte.

paul1598419 · Jun 4, 2014

Some people are more sensitive to bright light than others. My daughter is one of those people, but I have no problem looking at the spot from my Sky Ray 1.7 watt or my 3 watt MS-SSW-II. And that is off a white wall at about 12 feet. It is no longer collimated or in anyway in Phase at all being reflected off of a rough surface, so the damage is more probably imagined. A blond or light colored retina is more sensitive to the brightness of the light. I never have had any damage, and I visit an ophthalmologist every year. She is very thorough and my retina shows no signs of damage.

firelaser · Jun 4, 2014

basically a wall turns the laser into a big glowing dot... and the energy goes every direction.. spread out very fast... on most walls it would prob give you a headache and you would see spots but not real damage as the light is very spread by the wall.. glass and wall are another story...even a shiny nail on the wall could be very bad.. it all about energy density.. so usually no.. but dont just sit there and stare at it..

upaa27 · Jun 4, 2014

Personally, the first time I built a high powered laser(1.2w 445) that i fired it at my white table I was sitting at... Not a good idea when I finally managed to turn it off there were little green spots dancing around :banghead: . Don't do it lol.

The Lightning Stalker · Jun 5, 2014

Yeah I would advise a 40ft minimum. If it hits a license plate, reflector, or road sign, forget about it.
Probably at least 100m for something like that with such a laser. Such things are not in most peoples'
houses, but some people do, so take care.

paul1598419 · Jun 5, 2014

Maybe it's just me, but I am always aware where the laser is pointing and I never let it get away from me. I always know where the laser is pointed and I always turn it off before I take me eyes off of the object it is pointed at. Anything is possible, but I just don't see that ever happening to me. I look at the spot from my 3 watt 445nm laser from 10 feet away and it doesn't bother me in the least. They are never shiny surfaces and inside I know where all the shiny surfaces are. Outside I am even more careful and usually only point the laser at a point in the sky. Or, maybe some far off point that I also know is not reflective. I just have a great deal of respect for my lasers.

Down with Umbrella · Jun 5, 2014

Also it makes a difference if you're in a dark room with your Pupils fully dilated. In a well lit room you eyes are better adjusted to bright light I've noticed.

mortuus · Jun 5, 2014

not as a dot but if you focus it so the dot will be a big shape instead then i would say kinda safe, it still feels weird to look but as a dot i would never try look on a whit wall or something without glasses.

mojo_1234 · Jun 5, 2014

killas291 said:
As the title says pretty much. Would it be safe to look at a laser dot on a white or black walls without glasses?

Thank you.

Pretty simple answer: NO

paul1598419 · Jun 5, 2014

Wow. I guess there are as many opinions as there are forum members. I know what a collimated beam can do to the retina of an eye, but a scattered dot on a wall that is no longer collimated or in phase is just a nuisance for some and no problem for others. I still say that the dot on a wall is no more damaging than a bright light from any other source.

The Lightning Stalker · Jun 5, 2014

63mW will give me dark spots at 15' in a dimly lit room. We're talking about 25x more power.
I think only Cyclops would not get dark spots in his vision at that distance.

paul1598419 · Jun 5, 2014

A dimly lit room will cause your pupils to dilate and dark spots would be a reaction from any bright light source under these conditions. It is far from retina damage, though. It is simply a reaction in your occipital lobe from the bright light hitting your dilated eyes. Surely everyone has seen dark spots before when their dilated eyes are exposed to a bright light source. I still say that this is no sign of eye damage.

starlight · Jun 5, 2014

I would recommend starting at 100ft and see what you think. If your cool with it start moving in until you find your threshold. Glasses are still your friend

Would it be safe to look at 1.6W dot?

killas291

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Down with Umbrella

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trencheel303

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KrowBar

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paul1598419

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firelaser

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The Lightning Stalker

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paul1598419

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Down with Umbrella

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mortuus

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The Lightning Stalker

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