He experimented with the powder and mixed it into a film that he laminated onto a wallet-sized card. MSU filed a patent application, a license was awarded to Scientific Materials, and company scientist Hu Li figured out how to make the film in commercial quantities. The whole process took an unusually short seven months and wouldn't have happened at all if the MSU scientists weren't involved in research on ultra-fast computer memory through the Spectrum Lab and on new optical materials through the university's Optical Technology Center, Hutcheson said. If widely adopted, the card could improve safety in labs that use infrared lasers. People frequently ignore the risk to their eyes when working with invisible beams, said Rebane, holding a pair of Roy Orbison-style safety glasses to his face as he worked with his laser.
Operators sometimes crank up the laser in order to better see the thin red glow.
Damage to the retina is immediate and irreversible, Rebane said. Sadly, eye damage is common in the industry and considerably more serious than an embarrassing smear of red lip gloss.