When using a laser pointer, safety should be kept in mind. Like many technologies available to the public, there are certain precautions that should be taken.

The danger from a laser pointer to humans is to the eye’s retina. After testing by the US Government, a limit of 5mW has been set on the power of these little devices. Even at that low level, 10 seconds of exposure to the human retina can cause perment eye damage. For this reason, never stare into a laser or allow anyone to do so.

Seeing the beam is not the danger. Looking down the beam to its source is where the danger exists. Just like looking down the nozzle of a gasoline pump at a filling station is unwise, never stare into the end of the laser pen.

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A green 5mw laser pointer is becoming the most popular laser pointer today. The reasons are because of its low price, and powerful beam. They first hit the stores in 2000, and because of their popularity, have become more affordable as time progresses.

The beam itself is generated by what is called a diode pumped solid state frequency doublers or DPSSFD. This is a more complicated laser unit since there is not a diode that can produce a laser in this wavelength region. Because of this, the production of the beam is done in an indirect way.

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The blue 5mw laser pointer is one of the newest lasers to hit the market. They started to appear around 2006 and are constructed very similar to the way green lasers are that came before it.  They follow the DPSS, or diode pumped solid state, that produces a beam at 946 nm. It is split before leaving the pen to 473 nm.

There is a company that is producing a blue laser with an InGaN semiconductor. This is capable of producing a blue laser at 450 nm without the need for splitting the beam. This beam is seen by the human eye readily since it is a shorter wavelength than the red laser. It is visible even when bright lights are on.

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The red 5mw laser pointer is similar to the first type of pointer on the market for consumers to purchase in the early 1980s. This is because they are the simplest to make. The laser beam today is generated by a diode which is more powerful, and less expensive.

The early lasers were helium neon lasers that generated a beam at 633 nm. The maximum power of these pointers was limited to 1 nm because of the heat buildup generated from producing the beam.

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The 5mw laser pointer has been available for purchase on the American market since before the turn of the last century. The first ones to appear were the red lasers pointers. They were mainly used by public speakers and presenters to help the audience follow what they were talking about by pointing to an image on a screen. These are best used indoors and in low light situations. They emit a beam of light at 670 nm.

Because the human eye is more sensitive to the color green, the green lasers are better suited for use outdoors, as well as indoors. They can be up to 50 times brighter that the older style red lasers. They send a beam of light at 532 nm. Their uses have expanded from being a tool that a presenter uses, to pointing out stars at night for groups of astronomers, as laser sights for firearms and just for fun with friends.

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