Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
the optical power and the manner in which the power is emitted. Lasers
which emit a continuous beam of light are termed "cw" (after continous
wave operation), while other lasers produce an output in the form of
pulses of light. For the purpose of classifying their hazards within the laser
safety standards, pulsed lasers are placed into different groups depending
upon the length of their optical pulses. The table below lists the four
groups.
Operating
Mode
Designatio Description
n
Pulse
Length
Continuous
Wave (CW)
Pulsed
> 200ms
Giant Pulsed
Modelocked
> 1s to
200ms
1ns to 1s
< 1ns
In the case of pulsed operation with a low pulse repetition frequency (the
number of pulses emitted per second), the critcal parameter from a laser
safety point of view is the peak power of each pulse. If the repetition rate
inceases, the average power becomes the more dominant
parameter. Please note that certain lasers can be operated in more than
one mode.
The Four Laser Hazard Classes
Lasers are categorised into four, general hazard classes based
upon accessible emission limits or AELs. These limits indicate the class of
the laser and are listed in EN 60825-1 and the American National Standard
ANSI Z136.1 for the safe use of lasers. The AEL values for the laser classes
are derived from the medical MPE (Maximum Permissible Exposure)
values. The MPE values specify the danger level for the eye or the skin
with respect to the laser radiation. Since November 2001, the laser
classes are summarised per the table below.
Laser
Class
Description
1M
instruments.
2
2M
This class of laser has the same powers as a class 2 beam but
the beam divergence and/or diameter may render it unsafe if
optical instruments are used. No need for protective equipment
if used without optical instruments.
3R
3B
For this class of laser, the view into the laser is dangerous.
Diffuse reflections are not considered as dangerous. This is the
old class 3B without 3R. Dangerous to the eyes, laser safety
glasses are obligatory.
http://www.pro-lite.co.uk/File/laser_safety_laser_basics.php
Laser light can travel over great distances as a nearly parallel, collimated
beam. This means that the beam can travel a considerable distance and
still represent a significant ocular hazard. Compare an ordinary light bulb
with a laser and you will note an important difference. The light bulb emits
light more or less equally in all directions and in accordance with the
inverse squared rule, the irradiance decreases with the square of the
increase in distance travelled. The power received through a 7mm limiting
aperture at a distance of 1m from the lamp would be 100,000 times lower
than for a laser that emits the same optical power. The 7mm aperture is
not just a random area - this is the diameter of the dilated pupil in a dark
adapted eye.
In addition to the quantity of light that can hit the eye, the coherent
radiation produced by a laser can be focussed to extremely small
sizes. While the light bulb creates an image on the retina of approximately
100m, the laser light is reduced to a spot of just a few micrometers (~
10m) in diameter. Therefore, the power from the laser that hits the eye
which is already 100,000 higher than for the lamp is further concentrated
into a much smaller focussed spot on the back of the eye. The power
density resulting from this concentration may be sufficient to cause
irreversible damage to the retina. In the worst case, a single laser pulse
can cause a total loss of sight in that eye.
Different Laser Wavelengths Present Different Hazards
The risk of losing your eyesight from an accidental exposure to laser
radiation is due to the special optical properties of the human eye. The
type of ocular hazard depends on the wavelength of laser light you are
exposed to. The eye is only transparent in the wavelength range between
370 and 1400nm.