I've heard that blue and purple laser pointers can start fires or cause burns, but I wanted to know more about green lasers. Are there specific wattages or strengths of green lasers that I should be cautious about? What's their level of risk compared to other colored lasers?
2 Answers
Green lasers can be very dangerous! They can easily cause blindness, which is definitely the main concern. Although the green wavelength allows your eyes to react more quickly to them, they can still cause significant harm. Check out this helpful chart for safety information: https://www.lasersafetyfacts.com/laserclasses.html
It's amusing that the safety classification ends at 500mW, but plenty of much stronger lasers are sold. People really shouldn't underestimate how powerful these things can be.
Are you referring to those small laser pointers?
Yeah, they fit in your pocket but are about 4 inches long. I wouldn't call them true pocket lasers. They’re more like pointer lasers, and I've seen ones that go up to 5,000 mW!
It's true that green lasers are super visible, meaning they look brighter than other colors at the same power. But be cautious—like a 5,000mW green laser could easily do some serious damage!