What to do if you get hit in the eye by a laser?

Question

I was using a small <5mW ~650nm red laser (possibly with IR) with some glass and for about 1/2 a second a partial reflection of the laser hit my eye. There was a small burn-in spot (like when you look at a camera flash) for a couple of moments and I'm afraid that there could be some damage (permanent or temporary? curable?)

I don't notice any vision problems... but does anyone know anything about this?

Answer 1

Usually the lasers that normal people are exposed to that are on the market wont do any big damage to you. You can call your doctor just to be safe. What you experienced was most likely a temporary retinal bleaching like when you get hit with a flash. But, call your doctor just in case.

Answer 2

You could always see a doctor just to be on the safe side.