Some time ago, “Da Zhangwei Concert Lethal Dose Laser” made the hot search, and many people worried that stage laser would hurt eyes and endanger safety. In fact, the risk of compliant stage laser lights is controllable, and those “lethal” worries are mostly misunderstandings about laser safety.
First, make it clear: the laser commonly used on the stage is mostly Class 3R (international IEC 60825 standard), with medium to high output power, outstanding visual effect, and the risk can be controlled through technical protection, so there is no possibility of “lethality”. The real risk comes from improper use or non-compliant equipment.
Misunderstanding 1: The brighter the laser, the safer? On the contrary, the higher the brightness (the greater the power), the higher the risk. If a high-power laser (>2W) directly hits the eyes, even for 0.25 seconds (the time of one blink), it may damage the retina. Therefore, such equipment must be equipped with automatic safety interlock and emergency stop devices, and operated by professionals.
Misunderstanding 2: It’s okay to take photos of laser with mobile phone? In fact, laser will damage the camera sensor. There was a photographer whose camera was directly hit by laser, resulting in permanent white lines in the picture. When the audience takes photos with mobile phones, they should also avoid pointing the lens directly at the laser beam.
Misunderstanding 3: It’s okay to look directly at the laser on site? Even compliant laser is not recommended to look directly at the beam. Concert organizers usually control the laser projection angle above 30 degrees and keep a safe distance of more than 3 meters from the audience’s heads. If the audience encounters laser scanning, they can close their eyes defensively or turn their heads to avoid direct exposure to the eyes.