In what situations is it appropriate to use my 1.2w 445 blue laser without goggles?

[laserboy420]

I've seen some people say that you sometimes don't even notice permanent eye damage... how can I tell if my eyes are being damaged? I like the color and look of my laser, and I like to look at it. Am I allowed to, say, point it at a wall 5 yards away? how about 25 yards away? There is a point at which focus and distance make the dot painful to look at; is this the point at which eye damage starts?

 

[laserboy420]

And this is of course assuming that I take care to avoid any surfaces that might possibly relfect the beam towards anyone.

 

[Lolvo]

Looking at the dot at a distance less than 100ft away for longer than 5 seconds is not advised. I own a 1.6w 445 laser, and I love the look of the beam and dot, and I use it all the time without my goggles, I never look directly at the dot, and always use peripheral vision when enjoying my laser.

I have 20/20 vision and my lasing hobby has never interfered with that. I use my laser to show off to friends as well, and while they do not have eye protection on, I tell them it is very dangerous to look directly at the dot and can cause damage.

Use common sense, and you will be fine. Better safe than sorry! Hope my thoughts helped.

 

[Livinloud]

The only time its advised to NOT wear safety glasses is when pointing the laser into the sky. Since you are new check out the yellow link in my signature below, it will help you out a lot

 

[Flaminpyro]

You don't have to wear safety glasses if you keep your eyes closed :crackup:

seriously like the man said only when you are pointing at stars is it safe and any other time it's your call, just because the bright light from the dot or the beam is not physicly hurting your eyes might not mean there is no damage taking place.

once with out safety glasses on I terminated the beam of a powerful 445 in the same room on the wall and after wards I seen every thing with a yellow tint and that lasted for many min.

So it's not really safe to be looking a powerful laser beam close up even spectral flashes could do damage depending on the power of the laser.

 

[copenhagen]

I am new. On the recommendation of threads I found on this forum, I bought this laser.

Spartan BW Series 1 watt Blue Handheld Laser Pointer | Dragon Lasers

I also bought two pairs of these glasses: HDE® Laser Eye Protection Safety Glasses W/ Free Hard Case - Amazon.com

These are the correct glasses, right?

Now my main question- is it safe for me to look at the beam at night without the glasses as long as I am pointing it into the sky and not looking at the dot? Yes, I know to check for air planes, etc. Would a foggy night make it less safe?

 

[Livinloud]

if you are pointing it in the sky what dot are you referencing? also those glasses are the lowest of low in quality. they are better than wearing nothing but for the same, if not less you could have got the tested uvex glasses and been safer. if i were you, id cancel the order for the glasses and get the uvex in the yellow link in my signature below. if you already bought them then id return them for poor quality. just think, you spend $240 USD on a laser but $10 will protect your eyes? doesnt make sense, you should buy atleast the $10 uvex ones if not eagle pair glasses

 

[copenhagen]

if you are pointing it in the sky what dot are you referencing? also those glasses are the lowest of low in quality. they are better than wearing nothing but for the same, if not less you could have got the tested uvex glasses and been safer. if i were you, id cancel the order for the glasses and get the uvex in the yellow link in my signature below. if you already bought them then id return them for poor quality. just think, you spend $240 USD on a laser but $10 will protect your eyes? doesnt make sense, you should buy atleast the $10 uvex ones if not eagle pair glasses

Obviously no dot- do you need the glasses to look at the beam going through the air and will a foggy night make any difference in the need for glasses?

Yes I have spent many thousands of dollars on firearms and a free pair of clear glasses protect my eyes- so it makes perfect since that I should not have to break the bank for simple protection. Your argument is flawed. I want to know the cheapest pair of glasses that will provide sufficient protection from this laser.

 

[Livinloud]

Obviously no dot- do you need the glasses to look at the beam going through the air and will a foggy night make any difference in the need for glasses?

Yes I have spent many thousands of dollars on firearms and a free pair of clear glasses protect my eyes- so it makes perfect since that I should not have to break the bank for simple protection. Your argument is flawed. I want to know the cheapest pair of glasses that will provide sufficient protection from this laser.

My argument is not flawed. You can fire a gun with regular prescription glasses but doesn't mean they provide the "sufficient" protection. Your free glasses from your guns are probably fine, they only need to be impact resistant, they aren't bullet proof. Will the glasses you bought work, ehhh yeah they will do in a pinch but doesnt mean they are doing a good job. they will probably do a great job for impact protection so you could use them with your guns as well. they will block some of the light but they also will let a large amount of light through. the difference between shooting glasses and laser glasses are that shooting glasses are clear and dont need to provide any light blocking properties whereas the laser glasses have to be OD rated. the higher the OD, the more light they block. Uvex glasses from the thread in my signature would do a heck of a better job then the ones you bought. the eagle pair would blow the ones you bought out of the water and obviously the certified ones are on a completely different level.

I am getting the sense that you dont understand the danger of light and the effects it can have on your eyes. take some time and read the suggested thread and take a look at the threads linked under safety section. lasers are as dangerous as a loaded gun when it comes to your eyes. since you are a gun enthusiast you should understand what that means.

 

[copenhagen]

Welp, if you shine the beam through the glasses none of it makes it through them. I can tell you that much for sure. Don't know what more you want.

I am getting a sense that you still haven't answered my main question which was will the looking at the beam shining up into the sky without glasses on harm your eyes? Will fog aggravate this effect?

By the way, duh, of course the laser is as dangerous as a firearm. For christ sake- you can cut duct tape in half with it. I may have been born at night but it was not last night. I would be scared to store the thing with batteries in it.

Please do provide me a source as to why you feel the glasses I bought are not sufficient?

 

[Livinloud]

i will find you some sources, might be tomorrow since im tired but i will find them.

as far as in the sky, clear night you are fine without glasses. Foggy night, it all depends. since fog is water in the air, the water could technically reflect light back to your eyes so id say it all depends on the situation. i wouldnt advice lasing in heavy fog but light fog i dont see a problem with, ive done it myself and many others have done the same. this is not to say that the fog/water particles may reflect light back towards you. its also harder to find air crafts but on the other side they are 30k feet up so if the fog is thick enough they wont see the beam either.

you also cant say for sure they dont let light through because i know they do. even eagle pair glasses let some light through. however it is so little that you can see the beam or dot but if you place the glasses between a beam and LPM, the LPM will still get a reading from the light passing through the glasses. that can been seen in the thread i suggested reading. ill grab the link for you though

EDIT: uvex still let through 532nm
uvex letting 445nm light through and destruction from beam
http://laserpointerforums.com/f53/has-anyone-done-review-these-cheap-ebay-safety-goggles-77416.html
http://laserpointerforums.com/f53/would-these-glasses-protect-against-2w-blue-79428.html
http://laserpointerforums.com/f41/guide-buying-your-first-laser-79399.html#post1141044
http://laserpointerforums.com/f53/hit-eye-2-35-watts-had-goggles-77347.html
http://laserpointerforums.com/f53/get-some-safety-goggles-now-75799.html
i could go on and on with the links, there are something like 25+ pages about cheap safety glasses and not ONCE will anyone recommend getting those T-Rex glasses

there is a reason why the glasses you bought dont have an OD rating. no one can tell you what to buy or how much protection you need. we can only advise as to what we have tested and trust. LPF as a whole would never recommend those glasses and will only recommend Uvex (if you are on a budget), eagle pair or certified glasses. certified are the only highly tested and regulated glasses, eagle pair have a OD4+ rating which is great and most certified can get up to OD7+

you can buy whatever you like but dont come back and complain if your eyes get destroyed. you have been advised and warned, that is all i can do. i dont want to start an argument over this. take what has been said or not, but that is all on you.