However, it is still a good idea not to stare at bright diffuse spots for a long time. Equipment care The equipment in the Optics Laboratory are expensive and delicate. Care should be taken to assure that the equipment is not damaged or deteriorated in any way. Precautions to avoid damage to specific components and instruments are listed with the instructions in the Optics Laboratory Manual . Some general precautions that have to be followed are stated here.
All optical surfaces are susceptible to be damaged easily.
Some optical components have delicate optical coatings on them, and others have plastic surfaces. Fingerprints and scratches are the most common sources of damage. They may both degrade the performance of an optical component irreversibly. Certain precautions pertaining to all optical surfaces should be followed at all times to insure the safety of the optical components. Never touch optical surfaces.