445nm Dot Viewing

[twenglish1]

I know that dot viewing of a 2 watt laser is not necessarily the safest but i am sure that everyone has done it at some point in time, i never look at the dot at close range (<10 feet), i always make sure it is on a flat black surface, and never do it for more then a second or too, hopefully this isn't too dangerous to my vision, one thing i have noticed is i see faint blueish purple after images, that fade away in a minute or so. does this mean i am taking eye damage? or is it simply a reaction to the pure blue light? has anyone else experienced this?

 

[SilverFire]

Blue laser light can cause photochemical eye damage. Avoid prolonged exposure to blue light whenever you can. Light from 530nm green to 380nm ultraviolet can be hazardous, with the peak danger at 440nm blue. There is a hazard even from prolonged exposure to diffuse “room glow” from the beam reflecting off walls or other surfaces. The human eye was not made to view a single color for long periods of time. Its up to you man but please know that it CAN damage your eyes with that powerful of a laser even after only short periods of time. My advice would be using safety glasses indoors whenever you laser is active.
Hope this helps

 

[twenglish1]

I have read about the photochemical damaged caused by the blue light, what are the symptoms of it? and i use safety glasses 98% of the time when using a laser indoor, and when i am not wearing the glasses i never view the dot or beam for more than a couple seconds

 

[SilverFire]

If you are only looking at the bright dot of the blue laser for a second or two here and there, I guess you should be fine. Unless you get a direct hit or reflection to the eye, you shouldn't go blind. Prolonged exposure to blue laser light can alter and have a diminishing effect on a person's perception of the color green though. Patients who were treated for being exposed too long to intense blue laser light in the milliwatt range were only able to perceive the color green in a period of about 4-6 months. In the long term, they may have completely lost their ability to see one of the colors in every day life. Blue laser light, 445nm or 470nm is absorbed more effectively by retinal tissue compared to 532nm green or 650nm red laser light. I would say it would be just fine to look at the dot once in a while but try not to do it too often. Stay safe and have fun!

 

[Pi R Squared]

OH MY GOD! NOT AGAIN!!! Please learn to use the search bar at the bottom of the page! There was just another huge long discussion about this in recent days/weeks. It has been discussed many times before! There is no answer to your questions and no agreement about it! Just like the argument over copper or aluminum!

Alan

 

[SilverFire]

Oh, didn't know there was some controversy over that subject. Just thought I would share what I found while researching lasers. On the copper vs aluminum subject, I find copper heat sinks under fans on mother boards of expensive gaming computers. Leaves me with assumptions but idk. :thinking: Never researched the subject.

 

[mortuus]

I wouldnt view it with my bare eyes unless dot very far away... >20m or more...