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Thread: Laser Safety Question (Worried about eyesight)

  1. #1
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    Unhappy Laser Safety Question (Worried about eyesight)

    Hello, this is my first post, sorry if I posted it in the wrong place.



    Roughly 2 years ago I was in a classroom and the teacher decided to conduct an experiment with a "Arctic Laser" Blue 1 watt laser (at least one watt, not sure if it was higher). She set up the laser (pointing it at a white dry erase board) and wanted to burn a piece of string with the laser. The student operating the laser wore safety goggles, the rest of us were simply told not to look at the white board. I was very uncomfortable and wanted to leave but the teacher insisted. The teacher turned off the lights before the experiment was started so that "we could see the beam."


    The laser was switched on and I was looking at the beam, I immediately flinched and moved me head towards the white board while simultaneously closing my eyes. My right eye saw a bright flash coming off the whiteboard. When I closed my eyes I could see a bright blob in my right eye. I was roughly 10 feet away from the whiteboard and maybe a bit less from the laser. Do note that I did not look directly into the beam of the laser itself, I'm sure I'd be completely blind by now.


    The bright blob went away however two years later I notice I have a few floaters (which I think I had before the incident) and my eye sees slightly cooler (color temperature wise).


    Even though this was a while ago I am still very worried as my eyes have been bothering me recently (visual snow and the color temperature shift). I am very frustrated that my teacher could have been so irresponsible. I have spent most of the day reading up on this and its really worrying me.


    Do you think I suffered damage from this incident or is it unlikely?


    I think this was the laser used: Spyder 3 Arctic Blue Handheld Laser (1 watt, 455nm, continuous)


    Thank you for your help!

  2. #2
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    I've been taught the math but, it's been a few years ago and I'm getting ready to run out the door but, based on what you have described, I don't think an indirect specular reflection of a split second, from a 1watt 445, even off a white surface would cause lasting damage. I'm sure someone else may post the calculations but, even staring at the reflection you'd probably have to turn away before any actual damage would be done.
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  3. #3
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    ... the best chance to get serious damage from a white board is, when it's highly reflective -- a diffuse reflection in 3 meters distance won't harm the retina ...

    Viktor

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    White boards have a very smooth surface, and therefore make a nearly specular reflection as well as the diffused. There's a possibility the OP got that reflection in the eye. A Watt of blue light sent toward a white board is a really stupid thing to do. Turning off the room lights to "see the beam" with the beam hitting a white board is stupid on top of stupid. That teacher needs waaay more education about laser light, but I seriously doubt you got any permanent damage, which would be highly localized and immediately obvious and more critical than you described.

  5. #5
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    He posted the same identical question over at the other
    Forum under the name of "scaredoflasers"...
    The question was why did he wait 2 years to ask a
    question and did he go see an eye doctor when it happened.

    The answers to his postst were basically... We are not
    qualified Eye Doctors... We suggest you go see one.

    Jerry
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  6. #6
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    Thumbs down Down with drama, down with trolls!

    Quote Originally Posted by lasersbee View Post
    He posted the same identical question over at the other
    Forum under the name of "scaredoflasers"...
    The question was why did he wait 2 years to ask a
    question and did he go see an eye doctor when it happened.
    I agree Jerry, it definitely sounds like a troll.

    So something that happened 2 years ago is now suddenly relevant because his eyes are bothering him again? And even though it happened 2 years ago, he still has perfect recall of the exact laser used for the "demonstration". Yeah, right.

    Oh, and his first choice of action is to post about it on the Internet instead of seeing a doctor or speaking with a school administrator? Please...

    The answers to his postst were basically... We are not
    qualified Eye Doctors... We suggest you go see one.
    While this is good advice, I will take it one step further. Even if there *was* laser damage done to the retina 2 years ago (statistically nearly impossible, given the parameters he supplied; coincidentally he's selected an example straight from the ILDA LSO exam!), any recent eye discomfort is by definition completely unrelated to that injury. Any lesions that might have formed 2 years ago as a result of a laser exposure incident have either healed by now (if they weren't permanent) or scarred over (if they were). There's no way for the purported exposure to still be the cause of discomfort 2 years afterward.

    And while I'm not a doctor, I am an LSO and an EMT, and I feel more than comfortable stating these facts. (Which, incidentally, any honestly concerned reader could have looked up for themselves in about 2 minutes if they were actually worried about a laser eye injury and not just trying to stir up drama.)

    Adam

  7. #7
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    If you have any vision concerns GO SEE AN EYE DR. ASAP!

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