Laser caution

The lasers we use in machine vision applications don’t have the power to burn, but they can still hurt you. When you work with lasers you need to understand the risks of eye damage.

I hope it’s obvious that looking into any laser is not a smart thing to do, but this is especially true when dealing with infrared lasers. IR light will damage your retina, even though you can’t see the light. In fact the problem is that because you don’t see the light you don’t blink, as you would with say a red laser, so exposure is greater and more damage is done.

If you look at your lasers you’ll see a label saying either “Caution” or “Danger”, and beneath the large text there will be a note giving the “class” of that particular laser. If you’re working with lasers you should understand what those classes are and what they mean of eye safety.

Safety isn’t my field, so I’m going to refer you to a couple of sources of expert knowledge. First, StockerYale have some good laser safety information on their web site. Second, the Laser Institute of America will be very pleased to offer advice and training on the subject.

Protect your eyes! Don’t fool with lasers.