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Laser Eye Protection

Bollé Laser Safety Glasses

Laser Safety Glasses can protect a laser operators eyes from accidental exposure to laser beams. Lasers operate at a variety of wavelengths, including Ultraviolet, Visible and Infrared wavelengths.

A laser safety glass is attempting to filter out the wavelength or wavelengths used by the laser, while at the same time attempting to maximize the Visible Light Transmission (VLT). In order to filter out the undesirable wavelengths, special chemical additives are added to the Polycarbonate during the filter (lens) molding process. Ideally the filter lens would filter out the undesirable wavelengths, while leaving the lens clear for maximum visibility (High VLT). Unfortunately, in reality many laser filter lenses have less than perfect VLT and often add a coloration that affects our ability to see all colors clearly and correctly.

In order to select laser safety eyewear for an application, the following choices have to be made:

Select a frame style that will meet the requirements of the application, as well as satisfy the user in regards to fit and taste. Making laser glasses acceptable to the user is very important in order to ensure compliance. Elvex offers frame styles that are as stylish as contemporary sunglasses, and no one should have to risk an eye injury based on vanity.
Select a filter that will offer the required protection for the Wavelength or Wavelengths of the laser under consideration. More than one pair of laser glasses may be needed in order to protect against multiple wavelengths.
Depending on the laser, the application and the way the laser is used a protection factor called Optical Density has to be calculated for most applications. For lasers operating in the visible spectra ( 400-700 nm) the beam and the danger is visible, but in the UV and IR range the laser beam is not visible and may require extra caution. When the laser is used for alignment purposes, the beam must be visible, and the OD must be chosen to accommodate this requirement.

Bollé Frame Styles for polycarbonate Filter Lenses

Bollé Frame Style LG-02

Bollé Frame Style LG-01

Laser Filters for and Standard Optical Densities Available

Filter #	Laser Type	Wavelength, nm	Available Filter OD	VLT-%
01	Excimer	180-380 nm	6	86
21	Broadband Low	180-532 nm	6	27
07	Argon	450-515 nm	2 and 6	44
22	HeNe, Krypton, Ruby, Visible Diode	620-700 nm	2	26
20	Near Infrared	780-1700 nm	2	30
16	Nd YAG	980-1100 nm	6	54
19	YAG Harmonics	353/532/1064 nm	6/4/6	10
18	CO-2	10,600 nm	6	87

Frame Style for Glass Filters

Frame style LG-08

OVR-Spec are designed to fit over most prescription glasses:

Frame style LG-09

GLASS FILTERS for frame styles LG-07 and LG-08 only!
Filter #	Laser Type, Active medium	Wavelength nm	Standard OD	Stock Frames	VLT
33	Dye (577-585 nm)	570-595 nm 583-590 nm	3+ 6+	LG-08	72%
35	Ruby (694 nm), Diode (635 -830 nm), Alexandrite (755 nm), GaAs (870 nm) Click for spec sheet	690-1,400 nm	6+	LG-07 LG-08	69%
30	Nd YAG (1,064 nm), Holmium (2,100 nm), Erbium (2,940 nm), Carbon Dioxide (10,600 nm) Click for spec sheet	900-950 nm 950-1,000 nm 1,000-2,400 nm 2,940-10,600 nm	4+ 5+ 7+ 6+	LG-07 LG-08	81%

Check out our Economy Laser Spectacles!

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Click here to get the basic Facts About Lasers!