The VL6180 is our best 'short distance' sensor. It has a mode that will limit it's 'max' to 255mm.
That laser operates at 850nm, so it's visible.
If you want an invisible laser (940nm) a good choice is the VL53L0X. It has a 'short distance' mode that limits it to 1.2 meters.
But you don't have limit any of the sensors.
They will all work autonomously and send you an interrupt (answer) only when something comes closer than a threshold you set.
The two sensors above are our least expensive ones. Paying more doesn't make any sense given what you want to do.
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