UVC light and eyes question?

Question

With a UVC light bulb or wand, looking directly at the source (the bulb or under side of the wand where the light comes out) is very dangerous to the eyes. But is it also that dangerous if you were to look at the light coming off it indirectly. In other words, looking at the light that's shining on a non-reflective surface? So when you look at the rays emitting out of the source from without looking directly at the source itself, is this as dangerous to one's eyes?

For example, pointing a light wand at something non-reflective and looking at the light hitting that object. Or having a bulb lighting up a room and looking inside the room at the light hitting the carpet or a wall.

Andrew Smith · Answer

UVC does exist in sunlight.  So you need to understand the difference.  With sunlight there is a lot of light and your eyes respond.  The pupil shrinks and less light ( and less UV) enters the eyes.  But as the UV is not visible then your eyes don't recognize it as light and don't shut down.  So too much energy enters the eyes.  Unless the intensity of the source is sufficiently low that the total amount of energy is not excessive.

Philomel · Answer

Yes, UVC light is very dangerous to play with.
If you must ask this question on the internet of Public Opinion you don't know enough to play with UVC. Stop doing it.

Amy · Answer

Looking directly at any light bulb is bad for your eyes. The main problem with UVC bulbs is that because you can't see the light, you don't instinctively look away like you would to a visible light source. You can keep staring until it destroys your eyes.

It's relatively safe to look at objects that are reflecting a small portion of the light, just as it's safe to look at objects that reflect only a small portion of sunlight. But you don't really know how much UV light is hitting your eyes (or your skin).

So don't worry about a brief exposure, but also do not treat it as harmless.

Captain Matticus, LandPiratesInc · Answer

Can you see things around you during the daytime?
Should you look directly at the sun?

It's the same concept.  When the light from the UV bulb reflects off of something else (excluding mirrors, of course), what you're seeing is not only scattered more, but it has lost a significant amount of energy as well.  The few photons left over that are still in the UV band are not enough to cause irreparable damage to your eyes.

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UVC light and eyes question?

4 Answers