- Joined
- Aug 25, 2007
- Messages
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- 63
Diachi said:
This is a very dangerous thing to say to a minor who is apparently very new to lasers.
30mW CAN and WILL cause permanent damage to your retina. It CAN and WILL cause permanent (if only partial) vision loss. It is not "eye safe", but used responsibly you can significantly reduce the chances of hurting yourself with your laser, even without protective glasses. It is a personal choice whether you choose to use protective goggles when using a 30mW laser, or any laser for that matter. 30mW it relatively weak compared to other available handheld lasers and there is a good chance that, if you use it responsibly, you may never cause permanent damage to your retina or another person's retina. But the potential is still there, and to dismiss that potential out of hand is irresponsible.
TO the OP: Remember, people on here are not giving you legal advice, and few are experts in laser and radiation safety. Ask advice, sure, but seek information and come to your own decisions/conclusions when it comes to your safety and legal ramifications for your actions. If you're getting into the laser hobby, it is extremely important for you to learn all you can about using lasers safely. Also, the proper terminology is that "ionizing" radiation can have deleterious health effects such as cancer, whereas laser light and other electromagnet waves we encounter are "non-ionizing" radiation. "Nuclear" radiation could easily be misinterpreted as things other than what you mean.[/quote]
I beg to differ, it is perfectly safe as long as you are careful about reflective surfaces, I have had many reflections from my 30mW lasers, and my eyes are still FINE, the only actual problems I have with my eyes is the fact that I need glasses, now I only say 30mW lasers are eye safe because there is LITTLE chance that you will receive eye damage from an exposure lasting 0.5 seconds, you can however receive damage from longer exposures. But unless you intentionally shine a 30mW laser into your own eye (It would be too bright to hold there for long), your blink reflex will protect you some anyway.
Now I am NOT saying that you, or anyone else shouldn't be careful with ANY laser >5mW, because of course you should, I am only saying that for lasers between 5 and 30mW there is little risk of PERMANENT eye injury unless you are deliberately shining it in your eye, but just remember:
Be Careful
Don't shine it at other people,
Don't shine it at vehicles
AND FOR GODS SAKES DO NOT SHINE IT AT PLANES ! [/quote]
I understand what you're saying here, but saying "30mW is eye safe" is factually untrue. 30mW can do damage from accidental exposure, so to say it is "eye safe" is irresponsible at best.
I realize that with seasoned hobbyists who have experience with lasers, 30mW is unlikely to cause damage and you can very easily consider yourself to be safe without protective eyewear. BUT, when relating your experiences to less-experienced users, I think it much better to err on the side of caution when giving safety advice. While experienced users read that and understand that 30mW can be safely used in some circumstances without goggles in your experience, a new user can easily read "eye safe" and think that 30mW is truly incapable of causing harm to your eyes.
Maybe it's just me, and if it is just me then that's fine, I won't be hurt. But with me reading what you wrote, I could easily see a teenager with his brand new 30mW laser and no experience reading what you wrote and going "awesome, this really is safe, I don't have to be worried about it at all, because Diachi said it's eye safe so it can't hurt me" when in reality it is still a IIIb laser than can do damage before you can even blink, even from partially reflective surfaces.
LRMNmeyer: I'm glad you realize the dangers associated with lasers, and that you realize that any answers on message boards cannot always be taken at full face value. You seem to realize that you are responsible for your own actions. But not everyone is so wise, and some would take advice from people on a board with a high "rep" and not think twice about it, when in reality you are the only one who is ultimately responsible for your own safety and for following or not following the law (which is the case here, also). I'm glad you seem to realize these things, and have already considered that not all answers to your questions are created equally. I wasn't just trying to "dis" you or Diachi; I generally try to respond not only to the poster, but also to anyone reading who might have the same questions and be concerned about the same things. I know that there are a lot of minors on these boards, so I am just trying to make sure that all those others reading here take the same care and consideration that you do.
