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A police department statement says the officers were on patrol in the bay near the Shelter Island Fishing Pier at about 8:30 p.m. Friday when a green laser was pointed at them from the Point Loma neighborhood.

"It hit my partner and she was temporarily blinded immediately," said Harbor police Officer Robert Twardy. "The doctor characterized it as a retinal burn. She's expected to make a full recovery."

The department said the officer was taken off duty for several days to recover.

The area near Bangor and Trumball streets in Point Loma is where Harbor Police believe the laser beam originated. Residents have a clear view of the bay.

Since Friday night's incident, officers have been canvassing the neighborhood, talking to residents and handing out flyers. No arrests have been made.

Twardy said the beam stretched about a mile to where their boat was traveling near Shelter Island.

"We saw it shaking around the boat and following the boat as we were moving along," he said.

Twardy demonstrated with his own 5 milli-watt laser pointer.

"The FDA regulates these and says 5 miili-watts [are] suppose to be the maximum strength but there's companies out there making them much, much more powerful without any kind of regulation," he said.

He believes the laser used Friday night may have been even more powerful than that.

"You can typically find these green lasers on the Internet for 700, 800, 900 milli-watts… completely unregulated," he said.

Green lasers can harm delicate eye tissue and can cause lasting injuries.

There have been several incidents in which lasers have been pointed at aircraft, distracting or temporarily blinding pilots.

Anyone with information about the laser-pointing incident is asked to contact Harbor Police.