Laser safety glasses

Light transmission and attenuation parameters

Technical specification

Wavelength (nm) / OD:
190-400 5+
>400-460 2+

CE specification:
2C-1.2 NOIR 1 S CE

Lens color

Yellow

Intended use

Non-coherent

Laser light protection parameters

Laser safety glasses are personal protection equipment required when using lasers for industrial, medical and cosmetic applications, marking, welding, engraving and cutting. We offer a wide range of safety glasses intended for various types of lasers, such as CO2, YAG, Ytterbium, Fiber, and other.

All our safety glasses meet the highest European and international quality and safety standards. We also provide documentation to be presented in the event of any inspection by the National Labor Inspectorate or customs authorities.

Optimum glass and plastic lenses ensure filtration within a specific radiation range and protect the user’s eyesight from any damage caused by the laser’s energy. Under applicable occupational health and safety standards and regulations, safety glasses must be worn whenever a laser device is not fitted with a protective shield and is classified as requiring additional protective measures.

Lens color depends on the laser wavelength to be filtered. It is selected based on the parameters of the laser and the glasses, namely the optimum light transmission and attenuation.

General information: If safety glasses are not selected properly, they will not protect the user’s eyesight! Should you have any doubts as to the proper choice of your safety glasses, do not hesitate to contact us by phone. We will be happy to assist you in the selection of optimum safety glasses, free of charge!

Parameters shown on charts:

OD – the measure of attenuation for a given wavelength in %

%T or VLT – light transmission (both visible and invisible) in %

Description of hazards presented by laser radiation

In the case of laser devices, special attention should be given to occupational health and safety standards and practices. This is due to the fact that most laser types used for industrial applications pose hazards to human health which are virtually invisible, act from a distance and may cause unnoticeable yet irreversible damage to human body, and in particular to one of our most important senses – namely, our eyesight.

We can distinguish between two types of harmful laser effects on human eyesight:

• visible and invisible laser radiation with wavelengths in the range from 400nm to 1400nm will penetrate through the eyeball, causing overheating of the retina and damage to retinal photoreceptor cells (Nd:YAG, Ytterbium, YVO 4, and Fiber lasers of various types)

• laser radiation with wavelengths below 400nm and above 1400nm is largely absorbed by the cornea and lens, which get damaged and burnt, leading to the development of cataracts (CO2 lasers).

A person exposed to laser radiation, especially if it is invisible to the human eye, may be completely unaware of the serious damage being inflicted on his or her body. The energy of lasers used for engraving, cutting or marking is so powerful that even the diffuse reflection from a surface can be hazardous to the eye.

Safety glasses are required at any workstation where lasers are used. Fitted with an optimum filter suitable for the specific laser wavelength and meeting the applicable standards, our safety glasses will protect the user from some of the above-mentioned hazards caused by reflected radiation.

We absolutely recommend that our clients use safety glasses even if their lasers are fitted with protective shields. You should be advised that many laser producers fail to provide highest-quality protective shields in order to cut down on their production costs, given that those elements are very expensive (approx. 3000 USD per one square meter of a high-class protective shield).

Furthermore, very few clients are aware of the fact that some lasers emit light even when they are not activated! This is due to the fact that lasers are kept in the ‘pre-excitation’ mode and some photons are emitted from the optical resonator even though the laser is not yet used for engraving or cutting. As a result, this laser-related hazard is particularly insidious.

REMEMBER! Your eyesight is priceless, and therefore no high-quality safety glasses are too expensive!

The coherence of the laser beam and its low divergence angle, combined with the focusing mechanism of the eye lens, can cause laser radiation to be concentrated into an extremely small spot on the retina. If the laser radiation is sufficiently powerful, permanent damage to the user’s eyesight can occur within a fraction of a second – literally in the blink of an eye!

Radiation emitted by lasers such as CO2 and lasers used for marking of metals (Nd: YAG, Ytterbium, Fiber, etc.) is particularly dangerous, because it does not trigger the natural blink reflex which would protect the eye and force the user to look away. This is because the natural eye protection mechanism is triggered only by visible light. As a result, the natural response mechanism is, in a way, ‘fooled’ by the laser. For example, a person exposed to a Nd:YAG (1064 nm) laser may not feel any pain when their eyesight gets damaged, and the only indication of the serious and irreversible eye damage would be a characteristic clicking noise from the retina.

Do not be short-sighted – always wear optimum safety glasses during any work involving lasers!

Disclaimer

Filter characteristic data points are nominally represented here solely for informational purposes. We guarantee only those specifications, including Optical Densities, CE ratings and VLT, that are imprinted on the eye protectors and listed on filter data sheets and web pages.

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