|fotec Application Note: Fiber Optic Safety The safety issues
for fiber optics are not what everyone thinks of first: getting
your eyeball burned out by laser light in a fiber. Most fiber
optic systems have power levels too low to do any damage. In
addition, the light is coming out of the fiber in an expanding
cone, meaning the further away the end of the fiber is, the less
the danger. Most systems also operate with light over 1000 nm
wavelength, where the liquid in your eye absorbs the light
heavily, preventing retinal damage. That said, it's stupid to
look into a fiber when you don't know what is being transmitted
through it! First of all, most of the light is invisible to the
human eye, so you can't see anything anyway. Secondly, if it is
high enough power to be a problem, the damage is likely
irreversible! So don't look into fibers! Use a power meter to
see if power is present, especially if looking at the end of a
connector with a microscope. The two major safety issues are
proper disposal of the glass s