IR LED 3W. Is it bad for the eyes?

Question

Electronic components

Sorry, but I do not know of any community where there would also be many diversified people. There is nowhere else to ask.
Knowledgeable people, tell me please, is infrared radiation harmful to the eyes? DX sells 3W IR diodes . Similar diodes are used in video surveillance during night shooting.

I know very well that the human eye does not see in the infrared range, but as some write, IR radiation harms the retina of the eye, because. the eye does not see it, the pupil does not narrow and does not block the destructive radiation that heats the retina and destroys it.
If this is so, then I do not understand this: infrared radiation is thermal radiation. In this case, it turns out that looking at a fire or a hot pan is also harmful. And here is a 3 watt IR diode.
And question number two: I need to make something like a uniform infrared illumination. In short, I want to highlight an ordinary sheet of paper with three such diodes in order to get its uniform glow on the camera. How much will a sheet of paper block radiation? What will pass through it, will it be detrimental to the eyes?
PS A huge request not to write assumptions, such as “since they are used in video surveillance, it means it is safe”, or “it is obvious that the radiation from fire is stronger”, etc. It is important for me to know the specifics and numbers

Answer 1

Prolonged observation of a bare crystal is harmful. Many people complained about pain in their eyes after playing with this particular diode. For comparison, if you look at an ordinary white 3W diode, it’s already unpleasant, but there the pupil still narrows, limiting the flow of light – and here this protective mechanism will not work.
A lot of infrared radiation also comes from a fire, but it is longer-wavelength, for it the eye is opaque and it is impossible to damage the retina.
If you make a matte diffuser with a diameter of 2-5 centimeters, there will be no problems. I would look for exactly thin frosted glass, paper, in my opinion, will delay 80 percent.

Answer 2

If you do not bring it to your eye, then nothing bad will happen. The radiation pattern of the LED without additional optics is quite wide. Unlike a laser Therefore, the power drop will be inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source.
Most likely you will not get uniform illumination, the intensity is too high and there are few points of illumination. It is better to take as many low-power LEDs as possible.
If it's not a secret, then why do you need it? Maybe there is another solution?

Answer 3

The diode is a point source of light, that's the whole problem. If you look directly (within 3/4Pi, then you can really get burned, a la in the snowy mountains). At home, I spread warm single-wool coats (about 100 Lm turns out), I had to bother quite a lot with the configuration in the space of the light flux, since it is uncomfortable to look straight ahead. I tried 3W (180Lm), so after ignition on the “stand” I put it on the table - my eyes hurt a lot after watching “straight”. The sensitivity of modern matrices is enough to catch weak IR streams. And 3W-kami should be used exclusively to hit 20-50 meters (offhand). It is worth looking at tapes or making normal matrices from 0.1-0.5 W smd diodes ...

Answer 4

Another option, if long-term constant work is not required, is to take incandescent lamps and an infrared filter (visible spectrum LEDs will not work, they have a narrow emission spectrum and most likely there is no IR in it). How to make a filter yourself focused.ru/1151