Projectors and Eyes

[ravenfmw6]

I bought a Move/Video game projector for my soon to watch his DVD's on (he is almost 3 years old) but when I was watching it with him he kept trying to look in to the projector light to see where the picture is coming from. I didn't see any eye warning in the instructions, but was wondering if this could hurt his eyes? The projector runs off a 60 watt halogen bulb. I don't want to use it if it isn't safe. Any ideas?

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

The more intense the light (halogen or xenon) the greater the risk.

Generally you would be talking about staring into a light source like this for 10-30 or more minutes

JCH MD

[ravenfmw6]

Thanks for the reply. Just wondering, how long would it take to cause damage? Would it make a difference whether it was a Halogen bulb or a Regular bulb?

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

Set the projector up high so he can't reach or look into it. Looking into any bright light for very long times can damage the macula. Very brief looks are unlikely to be a cuase for concern.
JCH MD