Abstract: An electro-optic shutter containing liquid crystal material is used to prct optical systems from pulsed laser radiation. The shutter provides the protection by being positioned between the optical system and the pulsed laser radiation and by rapidly alternating between clear and dark states. The alternation occurs in response to the absence or presence of an electric field in the shutter. When the electric field is absent, the shutter becomes clear and admits light and thus visual information whereas presence of the electric field causes the shutter to become dark and prevent the pulsed laser radiation from reaching the optical system. For protection of a binocular system such as the human eyes, in addition to the alternation of clear and dark states of each shutter, the clear-dark cycles of the shutters are staggered to assure that at any given moment at least one optical system is protected.