LEDs and Your Eyes

[Madman]

I just read a description of a constant brightness LED set-up on Ebay. In his description he notes that one should not look directly into an LED, as it could damage one's eyes. Here is the advertisement;
http://www.ebay.com/itm/5mm-Warm-Wh...669356?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item35bb998dac
Is anyone aware of this phenomenom ?

 

[Gizzy]

Those LED laser pointer pens, used by many when giving presentations, are a nuisance to our pilots? You often hear of young tear-aways shining these when the Police chopper is flying at night, and they've also been shone at Apache crews too.

I know of one Army pilot who had to make an emergency landing, due to these laser pointers....

 

[KeithT]

I worry that they are now almost exclusively used in children's toys often in multi arrays and of course kids love to shine them into their own and the eyes of others.
As someone with eye issues it is of particular concern.

 

[Tony]

Its got nothing to do with LEDs in them selves its just the brightness and the same can be said for the sun or even bright headlights or a flash gun .........lazers are a totally different kettle of fish as they work on a different spectrum

 

[Madman]

Interesting facts indeed. Due to budget restraints, the light at the end of the tunnel will be turned off. :brokeheart:

 

[tramcar trev]

I bought a torch with a 1 watt led in it for use while I'm in the caravan and need to throw some light on the subject. By the living thingamajigs its bright, lights up objects at 500metres..... scares off kangaroos and indigninous folk for some reason....Not game enough to look into it....

 

[New Haven Neil 2]

Lasers, yes, different to LEDS. I prosecuted a young person last year who thought it was a jolly jape to bring one into school and shine it into the eyes of a 'clever swot' in the class. They lost the sight of one eye. The young person wanted to be a pilot.....so a moments 'fun' ruined a young person's potential career.

Lets just say the perpetrator was dealt with appropriately - unprofessional of me to detail further!

So be careful with LED's, but be REALLY careful with lasers - in fact they should be banned from public sale IMHO.

 

[stevedenver]

i dont have a clue, other than common sense and some body awareness, regarding the actual tech details of when an LED could hurt you
to me this is like-when it somehting loud enough to damage your ears-i dont need a sound meter

but...for example
the LGB Genesis, with its cool blue headlights, in particualr when viewed at track level seem sufficiently bright to dazzle or damage if looked at long or closely

and

i have a few particulalry high intensity LED torches-160- 200 lumens+-that i wouldnt dare look into

when it comes to eyesight-theres no need to ask -imho-if it appears bright, like the sun, dont risk it