Apparatus and method for enhancing the safety of laser based systems

A method for enhancing safety of laser-based systems, comprising:

• providing a hand-held optical apparatus comprising:
• one or more light sources capable of emitting at least one wavelength of light towards an optical emissive material;
• a light detector capable of detecting a response from the optical emissive material;
• and
• control circuitry configured to:
• cause at least one of the one or more light sources to emit the at least one wavelength at a power density less than a predetermined threshold;
• receive a signal from the light detector representing a detected response;
• and
• repeat until the control circuitry determines the detected response matches an expected response;
• illuminating an optical emissive material with at least one of the one or more light sources;
• detecting a response from the optical emissive material;
• and
• preventing the hand-held optical apparatus from emitting light at power densities unsafe for humans until the response matches a predetermined expected response.