When I shine the laser at a wall or a power sensor, for example, it can be quite bright and wash out my vision a bit like I've been looking at a bright lamp or something. I know diffuse reflections are supposed to be harmless at that power, but is the brightness a sign of alarm?
Last week I started assisting in research at my school, and have been working quite a bit with a red diode laser. The wavelength is 660 nm and the power is around 100 mW. The label says it's a Newport 370-RC if that helps.
Anyway, the people I'm working with gave me some basic safety...