Washington, D.C. (CNN) -- The FBI says the number of laser pointers being aimed at airplanes is reaching an epidemic level.
An agency blog post says there could be 3,700 laser attacks by the end of the year – a 1,000 percent increase from the 283 incidents in 2005.
Laser pointers can cause pilots to become temporarily blind, which creates a dangerous situation at takeoff and landing.
Anyone who intentionally points a laser at an aircraft faces prison time and hefty fines.
