I met one person who took a hit from a pulsed laser (the -other- Nobel from today). Pulsed lasers can be even worse. Fortunately, it was in his peripheral vision. But he described hearing and feeling the pop.

My undergraduate advisor had a small hole in his retina due to a high-power laser. The injury would have been far worse if it weren't a visible laser, since his blink reflex greatly reduced the damage.