Hey All, I usually am the person who researches everything before diving in...now with 3 kids...that doesn't seem to happen as much.

what do I need to be concerned of with IR illumination?

Are certain wavelengths vision safe? Wattages? Are home security type IR iluminators deemed Visio. Safe?

I'm pretty sure I remember someone having vision damage from a rifle mounted IR source left on in their truck and pointed at the driver.

If there is a link to share that would point me in the right direction that would help.

Thank you!

IIRC, The anecdote you’re referring to was a military level full powered laser Illuminator, the Illum was left on, and the reflection is what blinded the victim.

That said, my opinion is that all lasers should be treated like firearms. Make sure they’re set to safe (locked out/turned off) before you get into the car.

A guy from one of my old units was a crew chief on a chinook. His 3rd deployment in Afghanistan and he got hit in the eyes with a laser. Supposedly at night under goggles but not confirmed. Also not sure if it was IR or Chinese overpowered laser, believe it was not IR as it was considered enemy action.

either way, lasers are lasers, dangerous. He went blind in both eyes for a short time. Then had lasting blind spots in his vision with no damage seen by doctors. Eventually the blind spots went away but he now has to wear eyeglasses to see clearly and was discharged from the Army. That was all from a short laser strike as it'd be damn near impossible to have a constant laser in his eyes when he is flying hundreds of feet in the air. He had 20/20 or better vision beforehand from having PRK (lasik) done on both eyes.

I hate the thought of having a full powered IR laser lying around

The sad fact is, that anyone with nefarious intent could cause real harm and no one would be the wiser.

IR lasers should be treated with respect and used with extreme caution.

Humans have zero pupillary response to both IR lasers and illuminators allowing the full wattage to be concentrated onto the retina by the lens of the eye causing irreversible permanent vision damage, treat them like loaded/unloaded weapons and never point them at anyone.

And yet we have had people posting videos on this very forum pointing IR lasers of various wattages at neighboring houses....

IR lasers are the primary reason I prefer shooting alone or with maybe one other well trained person at night.

Thank you for the responses, I figured that lasers are lasers.

What about led IR flashlights in 850nm/940nm?

The beam is dispersed sufficiently to remain eye-safe at virtually all distances. Prolonged direct exposure at extremely close range might cause harm, but it’d have to be a very unusual circumstance.

Is there an exposure threshold under NODs that limits the potential damage or is the laser power amplified briefly?

I guess I’m asking if it’s possible to cause laser damage where you’re not actually even getting exposed to the laser directly with lenses and a tube in the way.

I’m in the process of building a 300mW laser illuminator myself. Should be less than $100 all-in.

I got the laser diode and NIR AR-coated cylindrical lenses for beam correction off AliExpress and also picked up a knockoff surefire M600 to stuff the parts into from AliExpress, too. I already had a suitable driver sitting around. Diodes and flashlight body arrived, I'm still waiting on the optics.  I’m debating adding a manual focus ring so I can adjust divergence angle on the fly... but part of me wants to keep it KISS at a fixed divergence.

I’ll update you all when I go blind.

AFAIK, neither flashlights nor IR illuminators on security cameras are lasers.  As such, they pose no real threat, except with (as you say) extremely unusual circumstances.  Think Clockwork Orange and a powerful flashlight held 2 inches from the eye for a minute.  Might get thermal burns in that scenario.

The only way to be sure you're NOT receiving direct contact with an IR laser is to always wear NVDs..

IR light is everywhere all the time.. most levels dont hurt you, plenty of levels can..

Plan on mounting that to a helicopter?  That’s around IZLID output range.

Slightly off topic but anyone with young children, put your nods on and sneak into their bedroom at night. Their crib is lit up like a Christmas tree from the baby monitor camera's IR output. I never really thought about this until I got nods. Also, the iPhone X flashes the crap out of you every time you point it at your face. I'm assuming all of this is safe, but who really knows to be honest. We all thought BPA was safe too....

so back in the day, I learned to use a digital camera to test if IR lights are working or not (position lights on army helos). It worked fine with the camera I carried in my pocket last deployment and with the flip phone I carried at work. This deployment we learned that this trick doesn't work with Iphones. I'm not sure why, guessing they have a better IR filter on the lens or something, but it is interesting.

now I just use NVGs. I even have a monocle I made out of broken ANVIS parts. Soldered a connector to the tube that I stole from a broken air conditioner, and wired it to half an ANVIS battery pack that I cut up on a band saw and glue a switch to. I labeled it "IR light test set" so people wouldn't think I'm just playing. But I am playing

Whut

IR light =/= IR laser

Because laser light stays focused and does not spread out much (like a flashlight would), laser beams can travel very long distances. They can also concentrate a lot of energy on a very small area.

UV light kills, IR light heals