A LEADING eye expert has added his voice to the condemnation of people who shine laser pens at pilots, saying it is "only a matter of time" before something serious happens.

This week Great North Air Ambulance Service pilot Jay Steward called for more action against people who sine lasers at pilots after it was revealed attacks on medical aircraft have increased three-fold in the last two years.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority, almost 9,000 laser incidents were reported across the UK between January 2009 and June 2015, including attacks on commercial airliners.

Stephen Hannan, a senior optometrist and clinical services director at Optical Express, said tougher laws along with a greater awareness of the dangers could potentially stop some people from misusing powerful laser pens.

He said: “Laser attacks on pilots are on the increase and it’s only a matter of time before something serious happens.

“The problem is that people who misuse powerful laser pens don’t actually understand the incredibly harmful effect they can have on vision.

“And when viewed directly, powerful lasers can cause irreversible eye injury by burning the retina.

"The severity of injury depends on the amount of radiation that enters the eye and the length of exposure, but you only need to look at a laser beam for a few seconds to suffer devastating damage."

It is illegal to shine a light at an aircraft in flight so as to dazzle or distract the pilot, and those who do can face fines of up to £2,500, or even jail sentences.

Laser pens available for purchase by the public should have a maximum of 1 milliwatt (mW) power output, according to government guidelines, but some pointers available online are up to 50 and even 100 times more powerful.