I’m sure all of you reading this have seen or used a laser pointer at some point in your life, or maybe you’ve even bought one online. But have you ever paid attention to the warning signs on your laser pointer or how dangerous your laser pointer can be? Well, I’m here to help keep you and your eyes safe from the damage a wrong laser pointer can do.
But are green laser pointers dangerous? Are they more dangerous than red laser pointers? These are great questions to ask in terms of both keeping your students safe, and understanding some of the science behind laser pointer safety.
Here’s where the caveat comes in. A 532nm green laser is produced by pumping an 808nm infrared (IR) beam through a crystal medium, which doubles its frequency to produce the 532nm green beam. At 808nm, an IR beam is not visible to the human eye—and is therefore not subject to the protection of the look-away reflex. So if the IR beam escapes the aperture, it’s capable of doing eye damage.
This fact, combined with lots of press about green laser pointers “bringing down airplanes,” makes “Are green laser pointers more dangerous than red laser pointers?” the most common safety question.
A high quality IR filter prevents such an escape and renders the green laser pointer safe.Here’s where the caveat comes in. A 532nm green laser is produced by pumping an 808nm infrared (IR) beam through a crystal medium, which doubles its frequency to produce the 532nm green beam. At 808nm, an IR beam is not visible to the human eye—and is therefore not subject to the protection of the look-away reflex. So if the IR beam escapes the aperture, it’s capable of doing eye damage. A high quality IR filter prevents such an escape and renders the green laser pointer safe.