Might have made a huge mistake...

[NightExplorer96]

Yesterday night I was using an old high-powered 532nm laser I bought awhile back. The label says <2W Class IIIb and cost me about $189. Of course this won't be anywhere near 2W's but Im guessing maybe 200mW-300mW? (Don't have an LPM so cant guess exactly).

Here is the laser by the way:
2000mw 532nm Adjustable Focus Green Laser Pointer with Lighting Match Function & Aluminum Box (Black) [1754379],Laser Showcase,18650/17670 Flashlight,16340/CR123A Flashlight,Green Laser,Blue Laser,Red Laser,Laser Accessories,Violet Laser Pointer,Wire

I was using it yesterday, aiming it at walls and it fell backwards and for one second I saw a bunch of tiny black dots on my left eye. My eye hurt for awhile, but it is fine now and I can see fine. I would tell somebody about this, but I have been to anxious and tried focusing my mind on other things i.e my 660nm laserbtb. After this incident I will be purchasing Eagle Pair goggles as I really dont want such thing to happen again, and knew it was a huge mistake

If you guys have any recommendations as to what I can do to maybe help my eye, please comment below.

To all of you guys who think goggles aren't necessary....please buy some before you even get a laser. I was over-confident and most likely learned the hard way, that accidents can happen when you least expect them

 

[trencheel303]

"it fell backwards" - how so? Did it hit your eye?

 

[NightExplorer96]

"it fell backwards" - how so? Did it hit your eye?

I was using it with one hand, aiming it at a wall that was quite far away. As I went to turn it off by clicking the switch which is located on the back of the unit it fell out of my hand.

Im not sure if it hit my eye, I havee benn trying to think over the exact incident all day. All I saw was a sudden bright green flash and some dark spots located far out of the corner of my left eye. After about 5 seconds all disappered and my eye seemed fine, but I have read some threads where damage can still be caused and pain is be non-existent.

 

[Ears and Eggs]

Damn, that sucks. Really hope that you are okay. I'd probably be dwelling on that the whole day if that happened to me.

I would go to an optometrist/ophthalmologist and get a checkup just to be sure though. Tell them what happened and get your retina checked.

Might seems a bit extreme, but with eyes ALWAYS better safe than sorry. Broken bones and skin rips heal, but not eyes.

 

[NightExplorer96]

^Thank you 2007!

I really hope I am ok aswell. What I am most happy with is the decision to have a 5mW collection, and not my originally planned 500mW collection

 

[trencheel303]

I was using it with one hand, aiming it at a wall that was quite far away. As I went to turn it off by clicking the switch which is located on the back of the unit it fell out of my hand.

Im not sure if it hit my eye, I havee benn trying to think over the exact incident all day. All I saw was a sudden bright green flash and some dark spots located far out of the corner of my left eye. After about 5 seconds all disappered and my eye seemed fine, but I have read some threads where damage can still be caused and pain is be non-existent.

Was the beam even angled towards your face when you switched the laser off? You might just have seen splash from the wall. If the laser was angled upwards or further from your face then it couldn't have hit you. When it dropped, what was its rest position? Was it still pointing away from you and would it have had the possibility of reflecting off something on the way down?

If the laser had hit you in the eye I think you'd know it. I've had hits from pretty strong reflections in my goggles and the "flash" is quite noticeable.

I imagine right now that you're worrying but if you ascertain how the laser was pointed we can sort this once and for all... and I can't imagine you'd have pointed the laser at your body to turn it off... surely not?

There are many posts saying what to do when you get hit in the eye. There are even more that say to get goggles. How do you miss these the five months you've been here?

This is not relevant now that the accident has (possibly) happened. All we can do now is ascertain the facts, educate, and offer the OP comfort. He's not even sure he did get hit in the eye, and is probably (understandably) panicking a bit.

 

[NightExplorer96]

I think it hit the side of my eye actually. I saw a beam pass right by my left eye and just some quick black dots(as stated before).

No, to turn it off I pointed it toward the wall. And nope, nothing could have reflected off of it. No glass or anything

 

[Zeebit]

Not trying to be a dick but I find it ironic that you weren't practicing what you preach.

 

[busman2]

Just go and see an optometrist , they can take a photo of your eye and see right into it. Costs about $30 here for the photo to be done. Well worth it for a peace of mind. Hope it is all ok!

 

[NightExplorer96]

Thank you all for your advice

I will try and see an eye doctor. In the mean time, I will be more cautious!

 

[trencheel303]

Any update OP?

 

[starlight]

how is your eye Greenlander?

 

[NightExplorer96]

Can't go to an eye doctor as the nearest one is quite far away and my mom(trying to save the most money possible) since this divorce thing is running her to almost nothing, dosen't want the car to be used for anything but emergencies

It seems to be doing fine now, will update if anything new comes up

 

[ultimatekaiser]

It sounds like you'll be fine. It sounds like you caught some splash but if you can seek medical help it wouldn't be bad to get it checked out.

 

[zyxwv99]

I was going to post this as a separate thread, but I may as well do it here. I have figured out how to cure cataracts and macular degeneration using a 300 mW 808 nm pen-style laser pointer from O-like for about $58. I know what you're thinking: My hands are so shaky, the pain of operating on your own eyes.... In short, you must think I'm a medical genius. So let me explain how I did it.

First, since it my first laser powerful enough to do any burning, that was the first thing I did. I was meaning to buy a cheap pair of $8 laser safety goggles, but just never got around to it.

Then, just by coincidence, I had an appointment with an eye doctor for a regular eye exam. Turns out I had incipient cataracts and incipient macular degeneration. The doc suggested I start wearing dark sunglasses and avoid bright lights.

That's when I developed my laser eye-improvement technique. First grab the laser in one hand. With the other hand, grab the tail-cap. Then unscrew the cap and remove the batteries. Then put the laser in a drawer and leave it there for about a year.

Two weeks later the eye doctor expressed surprise that my symptoms were not as bad as they had seemed the first time. This time he photographed my retinas.

Three months later a miracle occurred. For the first time in medical history, two incurable, degenerative eye diseases showed signed of getting better. The doctor said this was impossible.

That's when I mentioned my collection of lasers, only whatever I said just didn't seem to register.

Two days ago I went back to the eye doctor. I mentioned the lasers again, both to the technician and to the doctor. The doctor examined my eyes, then gave me a wry smile. "Your eyes are perfect."

So here's my suggestion: see an eye doctor. Find out what those black spots were. If nothing else, it's always a good idea to have photos of your retinas for future reference in case anything changes. Regular health insurance should cover it if your regular doctors refers you, which should be done routinely as a matter of course.

Next, if money is tight (as it is with most people) get a cheap pair of $8 laser safety glasses. Then spend some time studying the Eagle Pair web site and at least *look* at what they have.

 

[Keiichi tsuchiya]

I was going to post this as a separate thread, but I may as well do it here. I have figured out how to cure cataracts and macular degeneration using a 300 mW 808 nm pen-style laser pointer from O-like for about $58. I know what you're thinking: My hands are so shaky, the pain of operating on your own eyes.... In short, you must think I'm a medical genius. So let me explain how I did it.

First, since it my first laser powerful enough to do any burning, that was the first thing I did. I was meaning to buy a cheap pair of $8 laser safety goggles, but just never got around to it.

Then, just by coincidence, I had an appointment with an eye doctor for a regular eye exam. Turns out I had incipient cataracts and incipient macular degeneration. The doc suggested I start wearing dark sunglasses and avoid bright lights.

That's when I developed my laser eye-improvement technique. First grab the laser in one hand. With the other hand, grab the tail-cap. Then unscrew the cap and remove the batteries. Then put the laser in a drawer and leave it there for about a year.

Two weeks later the eye doctor expressed surprise that my symptoms were not as bad as they had seemed the first time. This time he photographed my retinas.

Three months later a miracle occurred. For the first time in medical history, two incurable, degenerative eye diseases showed signed of getting better. The doctor said this was impossible.

That's when I mentioned my collection of lasers, only whatever I said just didn't seem to register.

Two days ago I went back to the eye doctor. I mentioned the lasers again, both to the technician and to the doctor. The doctor examined my eyes, then gave me a wry smile. "Your eyes are perfect."

So here's my suggestion: see an eye doctor. Find out what those black spots were. If nothing else, it's always a good idea to have photos of your retinas for future reference in case anything changes. Regular health insurance should cover it if your regular doctors refers you, which should be done routinely as a matter of course.

Next, if money is tight (as it is with most people) get a cheap pair of $8 laser safety glasses. Then spend some time studying the Eagle Pair web site and at least *look* at what they have.

BHABHABHA LOL so true. but how the heck did you recover from cataracts ? thats permanent you know that right ?:thinking:
You could try using some eye drops.