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Would a laser pointers reflection be dangerous?

J

johnbush

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Now before you think anything I'm not referring to reflection like from a mirror or shiny object. Infact what i'm talking about ISNT reflection at all(i don't know what its called so I'm calling it reflection) Now i have a 200mw green laser pointer that i bought for fun as well as pointing at the sky(I'm very safe when it comes to aviation accidents). But whenever i point it at a white surface it illuminates the whole room. After about a min or so my eyes start to get sore feeling and I'm wondering if this is dangerous or not. I really hope its not because that'll mean ill have to stop using it or wear safety glasses which i do not want to do. Slim Select Keto

Thanks for the help! :)
 
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Depends on the finish, a matte white finish would be fine from anything more than a couple inches at that power. A glossy finish diffuses the beam less, making it potentially dangerous from further away.

TL;DR, you should be fine.
 
Your eye's are getting tired because of the brightness of the 532nm green indoors especially on a white surface. Pointing to a black or dark surface helps.
Outdoors will be better on the eye's.

Edit: What Diachi said...:)
 
Encap said:
Does not sound "normal" does it? Sounds not good. Whether you want to call it dangerous or not is up to you. Suggest you wear goggles.
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Sounds pretty normal to me, my eyes wouldn't feel too good after staring at a bright light for minutes at a time either. Just don't spend so long looking at it. You wouldn't sit in your living room and stare at the 100W incandescent light on your ceiling for 10 minutes at a time and then complain that your eyes hurt.
 
I'm just assuming that what the OP calls "sore" is what I call "tired" after playing with my units indoor's.
I should of added the "tiredness" on my end go's away after a day and on my last two visits to my eye doctor in a 3 year span I specificly asked if there was any signs of laser or light damage. Which I was told there was none.
John you didn't mention any lasting soreness also. Maby give your self a couple days away and yes when you start burning things or lighting matches, you will need to wear safety glasses.
 
Yes , laser pointer reflections can be dangerous.

If you have any concern about your experience go see a qualified MD/ophthalmologist and ask him about it.

Nobody on any web site actually knows what you are doing or with what laser or what your eye situation is.

"Soreness" is a signal by your body that all is not right/"normal" or you would not notice it.

The only responsible thing that can be suggested is that you wear laser goggles and see if that helps, use common sense , and read up on laser related eye hazards, causes of "soreness", and other laser related physical effects.

You have made only this one post. Would be a good idea to make a Welcome post in the Welcome sub-forum.
 
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A diffused spot like you would get on a white surface is not a collimated source any longer and acts like any point source of light in a room. Since anyone in the room can see it, the brightness decreases as the inverse square of the distance you are away from it. Staring at any bright light for any length of time will cause you pain, but that doesn't mean you have damaged your eyes. If it hurts, don't continue to do it. It's like that old joke where a guy goes to his doctor and says it hurts whenever he does so and so. The doctor tells him to stop doing it, then.
 
johnbush said:
Now before you think anything I'm not referring to reflection like from a mirror or shiny object. Infact what i'm talking about ISNT reflection at all(i don't know what its called so I'm calling it reflection) Now i have a 200mw green laser pointer that i bought for fun as well as pointing at the sky(I'm very safe when it comes to aviation accidents). But whenever i point it at a white surface it illuminates the whole room. After about a min or so my eyes start to get sore feeling and I'm wondering if this is dangerous or not. I really hope its not because that'll mean ill have to stop using it or wear safety glasses which i do not want to do.

Thanks for the help! :)
Click to expand...
I think the terms you're grasping for are "specular reflection" and "matte reflection". Light bouncing off any surface is a reflection. Technically speaking all surfaces are mirrors. I love being pedagogical.😉
 
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I agree with Paul on this one - on a matte surface the reflection/dot is just a more or less omnidirectional light source from that point, and usually not that dangerous unless you are very close to it (danger reduces with distance squared, so the ceiling is usually fine as long as it is matte).
 
No matter what the light is, as long as it is strong light, it is not good for the eyes.
Because the laser has a high concentration of light, if it is aimed at the eyes, the damage to the eyes is great for a long time.
 
Morgann said:
No matter what the light is, as long as it is strong light, it is not good for the eyes.
Because the laser has a high concentration of light, if it is aimed at the eyes, the damage to the eyes is great for a long time.
Click to expand...
Strictly the worst damage caused by lasers is due to the fact that a laser is collimated, i.e. the light travels in parallel lines. This is dangerous because our eyes focus collimated light onto a tiny point on our retinas.

An omnidirectional light source like a light-bulb, or a matte reflection of a laser beam is bright sure - but one that's dim enough to look at without extreme discomfort and the following blink reflex won't burn holes in anyone's retina.
 
Encap to the OP..
'You have made only this one post. Would be a good idea to make a Welcome post in the Welcome sub-forum.'




Morgann said:
No matter what the light is, as long as it is strong light, it is not good for the eyes.
Because the laser has a high concentration of light, if it is aimed at the eyes, the damage to the eyes is great for a long time.
Click to expand...


Ditto. ^^^^'first poster' too...

..no locations?? 'hit n runnerss' maybe--hope not... we need and appreciate new and respectful members.

;-(
 
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