Based on recent research, the exposure limit for retinal thermal injury can be updated in terms of wavelength dependence, spot size dependence and basic time dependence. The update is to be published by ICNIRP, the International Commission on Non-Ionizing radiation protection in autumn 2011. In parallel, IEC 62471 and CIE S009 are to adopt their emission limits accordingly.

1.
ICNIRP
.
Guidelines on limits of exposure to broad-band incoherent optical radiation (0.38-3um)
.
Health Phys
.
73
:
539
554
;
1997
2.
European Parliament and the Council
;
Directive 2006/25/EC on the minimum health and safety requirements regarding the exposure of workers to risks arising from physical agents (artificial optical radiation)
; 2006/25/EC;
2006
.
3.
CIE S 009
.
Photobiological safety of lamps and lamp systems
.
2002
4.
EC 62471
Photobiological safety of lamps and lamp systems (identical with CIE S009)
;
2006
5.
ACGIH
. Threshold Limit Values for chemical substances and physical agents and Biological Exposure Indices.
Cincinnati
;
2009
6.
Naidoff
M.A.
,
Sliney
D.H.
.
Retinal injury from a welding arc
.
Am J Ophthalmol
77
:
663
8
;
1974
7.
Sliney
D.H.
,
Wolbarsht
M.L.
.
Safety with Lasers and Other Optical Sources
.
New York: New York
:
Plenum Publishing Corp
;
1980
8.
Henderson
R.
,
Schulmeister
K.
Laser Safety
.
New York, London
:
Taylor & Francis Group
;
2004
9.
Zuclich
J.A.
,
Lund
D.J.
,
Edsall
P.R.
,
Hollins
R.C.
,
Smith
P.A.
,
Stuck
B.E.
,
McLin
L.N.
,
Till
S.
Variation of laser-induced retinal image size
.
J Laser Appl
12
:
74
80
;
2000
.
10.
Schulmeister
K.
,
Husinsky
J.
,
Seiser
B.
,
Edthofer
F.
,
Fekete
B.
,
Farmer
L.
,
Lund
D.J.
.
Ex vivo and computer model study on retinal thermal laser-induced damage in the visible wavelength range
.
J Biomed Opt
13
:
054038
;
2008
11.
Schulmeister
K.
,
Stuck
B.
,
Lund
D.J.
,
Sliney
DH.
.
Proposed changes for the retinal thermal MPE
.
ILSC 2007, Conference Proceedings
,
Laser Institue of America
:
121
127
;
2007
12.
Stamper
D.A.
,
Lund
D.J.
,
Molchany
J.W.
,
Stuck
B.E.
.
Human pupil and eyelid response to intense laser light: implications for protection
.
Percept Mot Skills
95
:
775
82
;
2002
13.
Lund
D.J.
,
Stuck
B.E.
,
Edsall
P.
Retinal injury thresholds for blue wavelength lasers
.
Health Phys
90
:
477
484
;
2006
14.
Ham
Jr
W.T.
. The pathophysiology and nature of the blue-light and near-UV retinal lesion produced by lasers and other optical sources.
Laser applications in medicine and biology
;
1989
15.
Ham
W.T.
, Jr.
,
Ruffolo
J.J.
, Jr.
,
Mueller
H.A.
,
Clarke
A.M.
,
Moon
M.E.
.
Histologic analysis of photochemical lesions produced in rhesus retina by short-wave-length light
.
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci
17
:
1029
35
;
1978
This content is only available via PDF.
You do not currently have access to this content.