uv lights and eye damage?

hi, not to sound paranoid but I had just purchased a arc uv light. I have searched on cpf but haven't found an answer and was wondering about damage to the eyes. If you look directly at it? or??

If I remember correctly UV wavelengths below 300nm cause more eye damage compared to more common wavelengths in flashlights of 365 to 400 range. Irreguardless of wavelength its always recommended to use safety glasses that block UV light. NEVER look directly into a UV light.

a pair of decent UV400 safety glasses can be had for usually less then $5 shipped. (stick w/ the yellow lenses as the clear UV400 are not truly UV400 from what I read). The main damage is increased likelihood of cataracts, IIRC. Most of the warnings are for being around UV light when in use (due to reflection and indirect exposure). I won't use my UV around my little one for that reason (since I can't get her to keep the glasses one *sigh*). Naturally looking directly into an emitter has quite a bit more potential for damage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraviolet

Ultraviolet A, long wave, or black light
UVA 400 nm–315 nm 3.10–3.94 eV
Near NUV 400 nm–300 nm 3.10–4.13 eV
Ultraviolet B or medium wave
UVB 315 nm–280 nm 3.94–4.43 eV

For practical purposes the "Near UVB" is where 95% of our UV LEDs fall.

High intensities of UVB light are hazardous to the eyes, and exposure can cause welder's flash (photokeratitis or arc eye) and may lead to cataracts, pterygium,[25][26] and pinguecula formation.
UV light is absorbed by molecules known as chromophores, which are present in the eye cells and tissues. Chromophores absorb light energy from the various wavelengths at different rates - a pattern known as absorption spectrum. If too much UV light is absorbed, eye structures such as the cornea, the lens and the retina can be damaged.

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HTH

LilKevin715 said:

If I remember correctly UV wavelengths below 300nm cause more eye damage compared to more common wavelengths in flashlights of 365 to 400 range.

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anything below 300nm is a germicidal uv light, it will not only cause eye damage, but kill micro organisms, and destroy dna, it is not only dangerous to look at it, but even be exposed to that uv, any part of the body.

I've wondered about the A2 mods that use UV LEDs as the LEDs stay on when you use the incan. You wouldn't want to be pointing at people I guess.

A couple of air conditioning techs at my workplace spent around twenty or so minutes in an air handler with the germicidal lights on :shakehead .

They ended up with painful touchy sunburns on their exposed skin and also damaged the retinas of their eyes .

The skin recovered. The damage to their eyes will never completely go away. One of them has, as he says it, "fuzzy vision" now.

There's a reason for the stickers on the air handler doors warning to turn the lights off before going into the units.

Now I'm extremely cautious around UV lights (even the small ones) not to look directly into them or aim them at others (both people and animals) and use them only in short bursts.

thanks, I understand it better now.

The backscatter from my McGizmo 365nm UV light makes my eyes tired even in a room with the lights on, and even with UV-blocking prescription glasses blocking the center of my vision. UV is no joke, especially when it's really bright UV.

That being said, your Arc AAA UV is about as bright as a regular Arc AAA. The backscatter should be no problem, just don't look directly at it when it's on.

It's also worth noting that if you have blue or green eyes, you're more susceptible to UV damage even in bright visible light, because your irises don't have as much UV-blocking melanin in them.