How Else Does Cyclops Control His Optic Blasts?
Aside from the psionic field, Scott uses sunglasses and his iconic field visor. Both use a synthetic ruby quartz that resonates with the field that protects his body, allowing him to see regularly without constantly firing off energy. Using both sensors built into the side of the visor and into his gloves, Scott can manually fire blasts, and he can also manipulate the aperture of the lens to adjust the angle and width of his optic blasts. Most versions of the visor over the years have incorporated a spring-loaded safety function to prevent accidental discharge.
A combination of lingering physical and mental trauma from his childhood and years of eventual overreliance on his ruby quartz accessories has made Scott’s powers frequently difficult for him to control. His ability to control them without the use of ruby quartz has waxed and waned at times over the years—at times therapy and psychic aid has helped Scott control his blasts without the use of lenses, and for a brief period after inheriting a fragment of the Phoenix Force during Avengers vs. X-Men, he could not only properly control them, but they were greatly enhanced in strength. This effect however quickly degraded, and occasionally renders Scott’s blasts particularly unstable—either in terms of power or even, rarely, suddenly unusable.
