So I went to the eye doctor today or the importance of good laser safety glasses

[LtKernelPanic]

Ok first of all I apologize for the misleading thread title. It was just a routine normal eye exam but I was honestly a bit nervous when she looked into my eyes even though I've never taken a direct hit. I asked her everything looked normal and she replied something along the lines of "just like everything should." I must have looked relieved or something because she asked if I thought there was something wrong. When I told her no, but lasers were a hobby of mine she kind of gave me that "look." I told her that she just confirmed what I already knew that spending $100+ on proper eye protection was the right choice over cheap no name ones. She asked me what kind of glasses I use and was impressed when I told her what they were rated for.

Anyhow I guess I'm just preaching to the choir but today's visit (my first in many years) just confirmed that when it comes to laser glasses the cheap ones might work but is losing your vision worth it?

 

[LEDSanders]

Glad to see that your eyes are okay.
I need to do the same I haven't taken a direct hit, but the GARBAGE WickedLasers sends with the Arctic have no peripheral vision protection, and I was blindsided by reflections while wearing their "Safety Goggles".
My vision went dark for about 5 seconds. I am okay, but I bought a better pair right away.

 

[gif]

glad everything was okay with your eyes. I take safety very seriously, espacially something very vital like eyes, so even before anything i shelled out money for cert OEM ARG. and now let the building begin

 

[magmabeam]

LEDSanders could draw a diagram for us?

Mention the L word to eye specialists, and most will scream at you saying they dangerous they are and should be banned etc.

Pretty sure minor eye injuries from lasers heal up and they wouldn't notice them anyway.

 

[Benm]

Medical practitioners and lasers often arent a good combination. To people working with lasers the risk of eye injury is a real thing and something we do our best to avoid, but most medics will rarely see a laser injury of any kind.

People that experiment with class 4 lasers are very rare when looking at the general population, and medical professionals may not be able to make a decent diagnosis unless you tell them about your laser activities.

On a general eye exam they are probably more focussed on things like glaucoma or injuries caused by diabetes - laser induced injuries are extremely rare considering the population at large.

This lack of knowledge is a problem really - if you walk into an ER after shooting yourself in the eye with a 1 watt laser you are likely not to get adequate treatment simple because staff have never seen that type of injury before. I reckon this will change with time now everyone can buy a class 4 laser with limited funds, while not being fully aware of the danger.