A leading eye surgeon has issued a warning about the "irreversible" damage caused by laser pointers following an incident currently under investigation by football governing body UEFA.
England face charges after a laser was shone in Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel's face before he saved Harry Kane's contoversial penalty during Wednesday night's match, which ended in a 2-1 win for the home side.
The Leicester City stopper faced up to the spot-kick but a green light could be seen being shone on his face before it was taken - and kept out - before Kane fired home the rebound.
Dr Chien Wong, a consultant retinal surgeon at OCL Vision, said he had treated adults and children whose eyes had been damaged by laser and compared the effect to looking directly at a solar eclipse.
He said: “England’s match-winning penalty against Denmark was over in seconds. But the damage caused by laser pointers can last a lifetime.
“Looking directly into a laser, even momentarily, can cause irreversible damage to the delicate tissue of the central retina.
“This is a crucial part of the eye, which converts light into signals that can then be interpreted by the brain. But the fragile retina cells can be damaged by the powerful and highly concentrated light of a laser beam.
“Over the years I’ve seen both adults and children suffer permanent damage to their vision as a result of the misuse of laser pointers. They really are dangerous and the risk is similar to that of looking directly at a solar eclipse.
READ MORE: England face charge after laser pointer incident during crunch match with Denmark
“While Uefa is still investigating the circumstances in which a laser came to be shone straight at Kasper Schmeichel’s face during Wednesday’s match, this appears to be more than just unsporting behaviour – it’s downright reckless.”
England will face Italy in Sunday's Euro 2020 final at Wembley.
It is also understood that UEFA will also look into the booing of the Danish national anthem ahead of kick-off, before England's 2-1 win in extra-time.
They are also probing fireworks going off inside the stadium during the match.
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