laser pointer bad for eyes?

[Dan Coplan]

We all know (or at least I hope so!) that looking directly into a laser pointer is BAD, BAD, BAD! What about staring at the laser's dot on a wall for extended periods of time?

 

I'm walking the line, keeping the laser dot on a cross on my wall going back and forth...

 

No problem or a bad idea?

 

Dan "Burning My Corneas One Laser Dot At A Time" Coplan

[Erwin Landau]

As long as the beam does not reflect back into your eye you are fine. You are just looking at a image not into the source... like the sun look directly into the sun BAD, seeing the reflection on the wall, bright but not bad.

 

If you are really concerned you should talk to a optometrist (I believe that is the word for Eye doctor, right?)

 

I see you are practicing, keep it up.

 

Fly safe (practice those stairs!)

 

Erwin

[Marc Abernathy]

make sure the surface is not highly reflective... say if you use a mirror.. that would cause the beam to shoot right into your eye. THATS BAD. but dull painted or conventional home wall with a nonreflecting surface shuld be OK...

[Thomas English]

use 2 laser dots that way you can keep an eye on the roll as well as the position.

[Mitch Gross]

A laser is bad to look directly into because within its incredibly narrow spectrum it is exceedingly bright. If you had all the frequencies of light represented at a similar strength it would be like staring down an 18k at arm's length. But pointed at a wall it is simply a red (or whatever) dot.