Laser Safety Laser Safety As It Relates To Laser-Tissue Interaction Window protection: All windows in a laser treatment room should be protected from beam transmission and covered with opaque material. There should be no mirrors in the treatment room.    Laser signs: All doors to a laser treatment room are to be closed and have a laser specific danger sign along with a pair of laser eyewear prominently displayed.    Hazards: Lasers are classified in four broad groups: Class I No known biological hazard, Class II Chronic viewing hazard only, Class III Direct viewing hazard, Class IV Direct and reflected hazard.    Laser accident summary: Eye injuries far exceed other injuries...and it is usually because the eyes are not properly protected. Eye protection is a MUST! AORN (American Operating Room Nurses Assoc.) Recommended Practice II - “Eyes of patients and health care workers should be protected from laser beams.” Interpretive Statement I - “Laser-safe eye protection with appropriate wavelength and optical density should be worn by all health care workers and all patients and labeled to protect against improper use.” There are different sets of eyewear recommended for different wavelengths. There is a list of Candela-recommended eyewear manufacturers available through our customer service department.    ANSI standards for eye safety: ANSI (American National Standards Institute) is the association that determines laser safety guidelines. They have categorized lasers into classes in order to define their safety appropriately. Class III: Helium-neon- Dangerous only if viewed directly Class IV: Dye, Nd:YAG, Alexandrite, Diode - Dangerous to view - Scattered radiation - Goggles mandatory    Laser eye penetration: CO2 Erbium Diode exposure may result in corneal absorption, while Pulsed dye, Nd:YAG, and Alexandrite exposure may result in retinal absorption.    Patient eye protection: This is as necessary as physician eye protection! Patient eyewear choices include: - opaque “tanning bed” eyewear, laser eyewear with proper wavelength protection and optical density, or in the event neither are available, alternatives eye protection may include moist sponges or a wet towel.    Fire hazard: Be on the lookout for flammable or combustible materials such as anesthetics prep solutions, drying agents ointments, plastics, resins, hair    Standby: A laser should always be in “standby” mode unless an operator is ready to use it.    Electrical safety: High-voltage electricity can be dangerous. Accidental discharge can be fatal. Electrical charges are retained for a long time.    Plume issues: A plume is any smoke by-product from the lasers thermal destruction of tissue (may include skin, blood, or viral particles) and may be hazardous to one's respiratory tract. Plume can contain toxic gases and vapors such as benzene, hydrogen cyanide and formaldehyde, bioaerosols, dead and live cellular materials including blood fragments and viruses. A laser protective mask (0.1µ) should be used to decrease inhalation of particulate matter. General room ventilation is not sufficient to capture contaminants. Smoke evacuators should have high efficiency in airborne particle reduction. HEPA filter or equivalent is recommended for trapping particulates. Generally, the use of smoke evacuators is more effective than room suction systems.