Will optical fibers allow light to escape from the sides, like a neon sign?

Optical fibers are specifically designed not to allow light to escape from the sides; this is why they may be used for communications purposes. Bending a fiber into a tight radius, however, increases the angle in which the light strikes the inside of the cladding, allowing some light to exit out of the fiber. Removing part of the cladding layer around the core by abrasion may also produce the desired effect, but starts to change the component from a fiber optic plastic strand to just a plastic strand.