| FAQs about GLARE Non-Lethal Lasers |
What does visual disruption, glaring, or dazzling mean? Visual disruption means a person’s vision is temporarily impaired so that driving a vehicle or aiming a weapon is not possible. Imagine driving your car at night and suddenly seeing the high-beam headlights of an oncoming car – you immediately cannot see and your foot may instinctively come off the gas pedal. The GLARE® lasers have a similar effect that severely hinders the operation of a vehicle or a weapon. The effects are temporary and no permanent damage to vision occurs because of user training and automatic safety controls. The specific impact of this effect is determined by the power of the laser and the width of the beam (divergence).What does NOHD mean? NOHD stands for nominal ocular hazard distance, which is the required eye safety zone around a laser. Outside of this distance, no eye damage can occur. The NOHD of the GLARE LA/9-P is 0 meters because the laser can rapidly measure distances and only outputs the green beam if people are beyond the NOHD of that laser. The NOHD of the GLARE MOUT is 18m. Soldiers are trained to use GLARE lasers only to engage threats well beyond the NOHD. How is a GLARE® laser different from a green laser pointer? A green laser pointer is meant to keep a tight spot over long distances to accurately point out targets. A GLARE laser uses the intense brightness of a laser but spreads or diverges the beam for the purpose of warning and visual disruption, not target marking. At 100 meters, the spot size of the GLARE MOUT is already about 4 feet, facilitating aiming at a moving individual, vehicle, or group of individuals, while keeping the laser harmless to the human eye. Comparing two lasers of the same power output, a laser pointer will have a much longer NOHD than a GLARE laser, making the laser pointer inherently more dangerous.
Left: A typical laser pointer where the laser power is concentrated into a small spot. This type of laser is used to mark targets at long distances. Right: The B.E. Meyers’ GLARE laser showing the diverging green laser light. The diverging beam increases the safety of the laser and facilitates long-range aiming at moving targets and multiple individuals. Why does B.E.Meyers use green lasers for warning and visual disruption? The human eye is 4X more sensitive to green light than red light during the day, and 363X more sensitive to green at night. This means the GLARE effect is achieved with much less power with a green laser than with a red laser. How are GLARE® lasers used by the military? GLARE lasers are used to warn civilians away from checkpoints and other areas where their safety is at risk. GLARE lasers send a warning signal across language and cultural barriers to keep innocent people from entering into harm’s way. At closer distances, the GLARE lasers clearly determine hostile intent and can deter aggressive action. Can a GLARE® laser blind people at 2.5 miles? Absolutely not. At 2.5 miles, even the GLARE LA-9/P is just visible as a green light. It can be used as a signaling device, but will not cause even temporarily blindness from that distance. Any claims of a GLARE laser being “blinding” at 2.5 miles are incorrect and not based on proven scientific fact. Is the GLARE® laser intended to permanently blind enemies? Absolutely not. Intentionally blinding weapons are prohibited. The GLARE lasers are designed to warn and deter individuals at long range without causing eye damage. Who can purchase a GLARE® laser? The GLARE laser products are currently restricted to military customers. |
