I’ve searched but can’t find the answers.

1. White light is bad. Got it. If I’m hog hunting and the person next me me uses a spotlight will it hurt my PVS14? Specifically, if he lights up a group of trees 100 yards away? Or the ground in front of me (if I didn’t stare at it but it brightens up the area)?

2. If someone turns on the lights in a dark room? Obviously I would flip the NVGs up and turn them off but is there lasting damage?

3. IR lights- can they cause the same damage as white light? If some dumbass shines an IR light in my face from close? What about shining the IR light onto a white wall and getting reflected the way white light can blind you? Will the PVS14 get damaged?

I obviously don’t plan on those things happening and will try to avoid them the best I can. I just want all the info I can get to keep them from getting ruined. These might sound like stupid questions but they’re expensive and I’d rather not find out the hard way.

Thanks

If your tube is Autogated, you SHOULD be ok, given that you don’t stare at it overlong. What that exact amount of time is relates directly to the intensity of the given light source.

Most of these things won’t permanently harm your tube given autogating and short term exposure. Direct exposure to Lasers (the beam shining directly into the tube) will burn your tube right way.

Some answers and then some explanations.

1) It's probably not going to cause permanent damage if the trees 100m away are briefly lit up.  It probably won't cause permanent damage if someone 100m away shines their car headlights straight at you. Same with on the ground. It's not good for your NOD, but if you react quickly, it's negligible in terms of damage. Some NODs such as INTENS based systems and Gen3 autogating systems can even operate continuously at this level of light.

2) It's not likely if you react quickly. I've walked from a dark room into a lit room with XR5 NODs on before, and didn't even notice the transition, until I realized I could see light around the sides of the NOD.

3) IR light can cause damage. The NODs don't really differentiate between visible and near-IR light. Some SWIR light can damage Gen3 also, and even Gen2's if it's bright enough (eg, direct hit by a powerful laser ) but generally the intensity is what counts.

OK, so your PVS-14 is probably a non-gated Gen3. It has some protections against bright light, otherwise the enemy would defeat it with just a flashlight. All use and all light hastens it's death, but that's usually more than 10,000 hours away from new. Bright light takes more out of a NOD than dim light - You might get 10x the life if you only ever use your NOD on the darkest nights. Use it dawn and dusk every day, and you will struggle after a few thousand hours. So lots of light isn't good.

There are things inside your PVS-14 that protect you from bright light. Here's a general guide. If you see a double-halo ( that is, the halo has a halo ) then it's too bright, and damage is likely if continued use occurs under those conditions. If you see a bright halo, then be circumspect in your use. If there's no halo's and no bleeding, then it's fine. Some lights ( and respective halos ) are fine. For example, a 100w globe 100m away probably won't exceed your NOD's rated use levels, however if you leave a NOD turned on looking at the same bright scene, then it gets burned into your phosphor and will cause more tears than a dozen onions being cut while watching a chickflick.

Try not to use during early dusk and late dawn, but if using it tactically, THEN USE IT AT ALL TIMES WHEN IT OFFERS AN ADVANTAGE. This last part is important. If the NOD is important to what you're doing, then some excessive wear is a small price to pay for the benefit it gives you in that situation.

Generally, most accidents with Gen3 and light involves leaving it on, looking at the same image, for an extended period. VERY bright flashes of light, such as would hurt your eyes anyway, are also a common source of damage, but are rare outside of the military. Sometimes if a light is really bright, you'll see afterimages after panning past it, and while they are usually worrying and leave black burn-like marks across your phosphor screen, they usually fade and disappear within a minute of use.

David

^^
What he said

Lights are not the big problem, lasers are. Reflected lasers off vehicle mirrors, in home mirrors, and high polished chrome bumpers are all risky with IR laser pointers about... for both your NV and your eyes too, especially if non eye safe IR lasers are in use.

Auto gating helps a ton with normal visible light. Try not to look directly at bright lights if you dont have to.

PVS14s are tougher than you think, especially if autogated. Treat bright lights like the sun.  It wont instantly blind you, just don't stare at it for long. You can occasionally walk under a street light if you have to, just dont look up at the street light, etc.

Thanks. Looks like I need to learn a lot more but this helps.