Laser pointer safety is often not considered by those who purchase these toys and tools. However, even the weak lasers rating in at below 5mW can pose health hazards and should be treated with care. When you use a laser pointer, regardless of whether it is playing with your pet cat or dog, or giving a corporate presentation, you should be mindful of the people and animals around you. A weak laser pointer can permanently damage the retina of the eye if it is pointed into the face. A critical aspect of laser pointer safety is to ensure that you use your pointers responsibly.

The stronger the laser pointer you own, the more important laser pointer safety is. Once you start working with laser pointers that are stronger than 5mW, the risk of injury is greatly increased. With the most powerful lasers ranking in at 100mW, permanent damage to the eye can be done within a quarter of a second if the laser is directed into the retina. In addition to this, lasers of this strength can burn the skin, melt plastic, and even ignite wood on fire. Because of this, it is important that you are very careful with how you use your laser pointers.

There are other things you should keep in mind to maintain laser pointer safety. For example, you should never point a laser pointer into the sky at aircraft. These are not toys, and the stronger the laser, the longer the range. Even weak lasers of 5mW and less can have an effective range of almost a mile. Because of this, you must remember that the beam from the laser can reach aircraft, and can cause injury to the pilots and passengers.

If you are intending on building your own high power laser pointer, laser pointer safety should be your top priority. When you are assembling the laser, you should ensure that you are wearing protective eye gear suitable for the rating of laser that you are intending on building. Testing and using the laser should be done in a controlled environment.

Most importantly, children should never be given high power laser pointers for use as toys, as many children do not respect the dangers associated with laser pointers.

If you are interested in acquiring a high power laser pointer, you can order them online custom made for your needs. Low power laser pointers can be purchased online or through a wide variety of local stores.