# Eye-safe laser pointers

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eye-safe-laser-pointers/622219>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [May 17, 2012, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eye-safe-laser-pointers/622219 "2012-05-17T15:59:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eye-safe-laser-pointers/622219/1 "2012-05-17T15:59:52Z")

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I’m a bit paranoid about shining a laser point into someone’s eyes. Are there laser pointers which have an easy to see dot out to at least 3 meters and yet are safe if I accidentally shine it into someone’s eyes?

Rechargeable or using AA batteries would be a plus.

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**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eye-safe-laser-pointers/622219/2 "2012-05-17T16:37:13Z")

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legal visible laser pointers have a limited power that should not cause harm with a fleeting fraction of a second exposure. find one less than 1 mW.

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**Author:** ![Sasquatch\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8491ac/32.png) [@Sasquatch\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sasquatch_1)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eye-safe-laser-pointers/622219/3 "2012-05-17T20:07:40Z")

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Even 5 mW should be eye safe, get a green one. Our eyes are most sensitive to wavelengths close to that of green lasers, so it’ll be apparently brighter than a red one for the same power.

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**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eye-safe-laser-pointers/622219/4 "2012-05-17T23:30:24Z")

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You have to be careful with some of the green ones, mine goes up to 22 mW on a a new battery even though it says 5 mW. You can even get higher power if you tweak the alignment of the crystal in them that doubles the frequency.