Laser safety eyewear is labeled with its optical density over set wavelength ranges, and only protects against the wavelengths on that label. A pair rated OD 7 at 1064 nm may pass 532 nm green freely. Lab rules call for goggles whenever beams are open, chosen for every wavelength present including pump and bleed-through, with the frames checked for cracks and the right pair kept at the door of each laser.
Goggles on, the 800 and the 400 are both open, and grab the orange pair, the green ones don't cover the blue.
Alignment eyewear that lets a faint spot through is a deliberate, separate product; never swap in a weaker pair because full protection makes the beam hard to see.
Also heard as
- laser goggles
- laser safety eyewear
- LSE
- laser glasses
Related terms
OD
Optical Density: a logarithmic measure of how strongly a filter or laser eyewear blocks light at a given wavelength.
Class 4
The highest laser hazard class, for beams that can injure eyes and skin even by diffuse reflection and can start fires.
Bleed-through
Residual unwanted wavelength, such as leftover infrared pump, leaking past filters into the useful beam.
Glint
A brief, bright reflection of a laser beam off a shiny object such as a tool, screw head, mount or jewelry.