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FrozenGate by Avery

Safety question about 5mW red laser (eyes itching)

I'll probably get jumped on for it, but I usually play with my critters with a 25mW green and a 50mW 405.. mostly just because those are the laser pens that live on my desk. So far it hasn't posed a problem though because there hasn't been a time yet where they haven't been watching the spot on the floor. They have momentary buttons instead of on/off switches so pretty much if either cat or the dog looks up and could catch a beam in the eye, off the laser goes instantly.

The green gets used more than the 405. The 405 is weird with my critters. Half the time they end up going after the *beam* instead of the dot... even though I can't really see the beam unless it's totally dark, my dog and one of the cats obviously can.

The cat that reacts to it is the one I usually play with it with because... it's funny.. the cat is apparently REALLY bad at judging the distance of the beam. ( while the dog is good at it so the dog doesn't get to play) The cat will be in the floor or on the perch, and i'll shine the laser across the room typically a good 5 feet above or away from the cat, and the cat will just stand up and bat and swat at it like it's right in front of him. It's the funniest thing ever.
 





qumefox said:
I'll probably get jumped on for it, but I usually play with my critters with a 25mW green and a 50mW 405.. mostly just because those are the laser pens that live on my desk. So far it hasn't posed a problem though because there hasn't been a time yet where they haven't been watching the spot on the floor. They have momentary buttons instead of on/off switches so pretty much if either cat or the dog looks up and could catch a beam in the eye, off the laser goes instantly.

The green gets used more than the 405. The 405 is weird with my critters. Half the time they end up going after the *beam* instead of the dot... even though I can't really see the beam unless it's totally dark, my dog and one of the cats obviously can.

The cat that reacts to it is the one I usually play with it with because... it's funny.. the cat is apparently REALLY bad at judging the distance of the beam. ( while the dog is good at it so the dog doesn't get to play) The cat will be in the floor or on the perch, and i'll shine the laser across the room typically a good 5 feet above or away from the cat, and the cat will just stand up and bat and swat at it like it's right in front of him. It's the funniest thing ever.
Click to expand...

Lol, that is funny. My model is just a cheap ebay laser so the switch is the average kind that turns the laser off if your finger is not pressing it. The pocket clip design is terrible though, the laser emitting end points at your face if you clip it to your pocket. Sooo not safe!

My cat is starting to get very bored of chasing the laser dot though. Most likely frustration at not being able to catch it!:crackup:
 
Yeah, it has a momentary switch just like like these. You have to actively be pushing it for them to be on. Mine usually chase the dot but after a minute or two I usually run them in to one of their own toys they leave around. Balls, etc, and then they'll play with that for a while while the pointer rests. This cheap green will actually quit lasing after a few minutes if you don't let it cool off.
 
That was for a 25mw green DPSS pen. Your red diode pointer won't really have a duty cycle. Not at that power output anyway.
 
my dogs act like they cant see the 405 dot at all, my green terrifies them though. I dont use either for playing with them though, its uncomfortable for me from 10ft away, cant be good for them right in their faces. Funny to shine the beam over my goats at night, terrifies them, chase em around just by shining it overhead.

Anyhow, buy a 1mw for kitty, even 5mw isnt "safe" for repeated exposure.
I did read about a guy who shined a 5mw into his eye for like a whole minute. Did damage and left him blind in that eye but only for a few days. Lookin at it on the wall youre probably fine, even if it was overspec to round 50mw+ which I doubt, though it would be bad for kitty.
 
If some moron held a laser in his eye for a whole minute, he deserves to be blind.....

I've been in favor of taking all the warning labels off of everything, kicking all the lawyers out of the country, and letting darwinism work for a long time now..
 
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I agree. Nice of him to give us some nice scientific data though lol. Otherwise how would we know the retina is a lil more resilient than the gov agencies and there 5mw law says.
 
The 5mW thing was just the lowest common denominator. It was the lowest power they could find that would cause damage, even if the circumstances that that damage occurred in never really had a real world chance of happening.

Though I always wondered exactly how they knew it was causing damage. Did they hire the guy mentioned above to sit there with a laser shining in his eye? :D

My opinion... and notice that word.. OPINION... before I get jumped on for it.. is that anything under 25mW in a pointer is 'probably' safe, in general use, unless someone is being extremely retarded in it's use. My reasoning behind it is that generally, both the people who could catch the beam in the eye, as well as the source itself.. probably being in someone's hand.. are both going to be moving somewhat. Plus there's likely to be some distance between them and the source, so divergence will lower the power density somewhat, even more so if it's a reflection.
 
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Blinded a lot of rabbits and a chimp or two would be my guess.
 
The only true way of knowing if it is your Laser being
over spec is to meter it for output power...
I've received 5mW blu-Ray 405nm Lasers from China
that are outputing almost 50mW...

As was stated above cat dander from increased cat
activity from the cat chasing the laser dot could also
be a cause of your itching eyes...

Jerry
 
When I showed my parents my 5mW, they thought it was BRIGHT, and said it made their eyes hurt when they looked at it on a white wall for too long.
My eyes were fine, but maybe it's because I KNEW that 5mW is eye safe...idk
 
I get the same effect when I buy a new video game. Not enough blinking = dry eyes. Try some Visene or, even better, blink more often!
 
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