College comments on pilot laser risk

A passenger jet bound for New York returned to London last weekend after a pilot was targeted by a laser – amid rising numbers of similar cases. It prompted College of Optometrists clinical adviser Daniel Hardiman-McCarthney to explain the mild to severe long-term damage to the eye that could be caused.

‘The laser can burn the back of the retina and, in severe cases, can cause scarring leading to permanent impairment of sight. The effects are often instant, although symptoms may progress in the hours after exposure, and recovery can take months, even in mild cases. There is typically no pain or redness following exposure, the main symptom being reduced vision,’ he told national media.