A British surgeon has warned parents not to buy laser pens for their children as they can seriously damage eyesight.
Consultant paediatric ophthalmologist Aabgina Shafi has said that laser pens are not toys, and can cause permanent eye damage and affect a child's vision.
Dr Shafi, who is based in Yorkshire in England, said she is currently treating five children whose eyes were damaged by laser pens.
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The treatments can be as invasive as injections into the eyeball, and in some cases life-long monitoring will be required.
Dr Shafi explained that the damage caused by laser pens could lead to blindness or an irreversible injury, the BBC reports.
"Quite often children like the fact that you can point these lasers at balloons and make the pop," Dr Shafi said.
"But in the same way, if you point it at the eye you make a layer of the eye which is protective against anything going into it, pop too.
"We have [five] children in Yorkshire right now [being treated for these injuries], and it breaks my heart because all it takes is to not buy these pens in the first place."
She urged parents to not buy the pens, in order to prevent further injuries.
Despite their potentially serious side effects, laser pens and pointers remain popular, with many people buying them as a toy for their children or even pets.
In Ireland, it is illegal to point a laser at an airplane. This law was enacted in 2014 after a number of incidents which saw lasers being used to interfere with pilots.
Back in December of last year, the Irish Times reported that a number of planes were targeted by laser pointers when they were trying to land in Dublin Airport.
However, laser pens are still available to purchase on the internet.
This summer, lasers once again hit headlines after a laser was pointed at Irish goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu during a penalty shootout in an Ireland versus Greece soccer match.
Similar incidents of laser pointers being aimed at soccer players have occurred in soccer matches globally.
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