Is it safe to look at the dot?

[L4sers]

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.11315

I was reading some reviews and people were saying that it is not safe to look at the dot on that 200mW red laser.

Currently I have a 30mW True green laser which is nice for looking at the beam at night, but I want a laser that can burn, cut, etc.

If you have another laser that you seem is better for cutting, burning, etc and has a beam (green), please post here. Thank you  ;D

If the red dot hurts your eyes I will just get this: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1372

 

[MarioMaster]

you shouldn't look directly at the dot of any high powered laser from close range, you need to get goggles if you wanna start messing with lasers in the 100mW+ area

 

[lazerguy]

Staring at the dot of a 100mw+ laser from close range on a white surface is NOT good. my green X-85 (which is around 100mw) is uncomfortable to even just look at for a short amound of time. But at a distance of a couple of feet or more, you should be fine.

Your eye will also consider red as more "safe" than green, because the eye is much less sensitive to the red area of the spectrum, than the green. But that is misleading.
Even if a green 200mw looks way brighter than a 200mw red, the same amount of light from both lasers enters your eye. As an example, my 300mw red isn't very uncomfortable to look at, while I hardly can look at the X-85, even if it damages the eye much less than the red. If burning or closely looking at the dot of a 200mw red, eye protection is not recommended, it's ESSENTIAL.

For burning, get the dilda-lazor (200mw DX). Its price is unbeatable and it has proven to be very good.

 

[keeperx]

ALWAYS WEARE SAFETY GLASES!!!

 

[iewed]

The red dot won't appear as bright as a green dot (I had a True 30 that was much more visible than my 220mW red), but that doesn't mean it's less dangerous. Green is just what your eyes are most receptive to.
If you have a 100mW< laser, you should always have the proper safety glasses before using it, $50 is what might make the difference between decades of sight, or spending the rest of your life in darkness.

 

[Cyparagon]

^that's not entirely veritable. Your retina is red/orange. Which color will be absorbed more readily?

 

[lazerguy]

ALWAYS WEARE SAFETY GLASES!!!

Not always. How fun should it be to see a dim dot outside in the middle of the night? When it is foggy? : No. If you use common sense, safety glasses is only necessary when you are burning or looking at the dot from close range.

 

[diachi]

^that's not entirely veritable. Your retina is red/orange. Which color will be absorbed more readily?

Your retina is red, therefore reflects more red light, and absorbs blue and green.

 

[Petrovski]

The fact that your eyes are more sensitive to green light then to red, is because the 3 types of cone-cells (L, M and S) in your eyes, which are responsible for viewing color, peak at certain wavelength ranges. These are: 564–580 nm, 534–545 nm, and 420–440 nm. As you can see, the L cone-cells peak in the yellow range, not red. But the M cone-cells peak close to the wavelength of a 532nm laser. That's why a green laser looks brighter than a red laser with the same power.

 

[Maelstrom]

Thanks for that graph! Ive been wondering why and what colors your eyesight peaks at...