Gatt writes:

Garden-variety laser pointers aren't the same as the newer high-powered
green lasers, though, are they? (For example:
http://www.greenlaserbeam.com/ )

No, they are not. They are still not the most collimated beams around, but
they are collimated enough to cover just about the area of a person's face at
a few thousand feet.

The total energy delivered to the eye in this case would be in the range of
microwatts at several thousand feet, and it would be virtually impossible to
accurately aim a handheld pointer at this range. So it would be more of a
nuisance to vision than a damage hazard.

Unfortunately, there are still more powerful lasers available. Most people
dramatically underestimate the hazards of laser light. I'd be nervous about
those green pointers just out of concern for my own vision. All you have to
do is accidentally aim it at a reflective surface, and next thing you know you
have a retinal burn.