Can a commercially available hand-held laser really blind a pilot, as has been alleged concerning those Phoenix airport laser incidents?

My guess is that a laser beam (1-2 mm in diameter) is very unlikely to enter and stay targeted on a 7mm aperture dark-adapted human pupil long enough to cause any retinal damage from several thousand feet away. Those beams, even if carefully aimed, would have a very fast angular velocity, and at that distance would be moving very quickly across the line of sight. If they flashed into the cockpit, dispersing through glass and reflecting off shiny surfaces, they might temporarily ruin a pilot’s night vision, but I suspect the beam would not be focused on the pupil for more than a microsecond or two, even if it was able to find its target at that distance at all.

I was interested in getting a laser for use as a pointer for amateur astronomy sessions, to indicate to guests exactly where my scope is pointing, but I live near an airport and I don’t want to get swooped on by the local gendarmerie. I would use it very sparingly, and certainly avoid aiming it at aircraft, but it might be visible for long distances. But I have given up on the idea now that so many idiots have been flashing aircraft trying to land.

I have a less powerful model I use to drive my cat nuts with, but it isn’t powerful enough for the beam to be visible from the side.