Tom Clancy wrote a book about 15-30 years ago about when Clark lit up some bad guys with a 'light cannon' that permanently blinded the bad guys. Clark tapped, the peprps looked in the direction of the sound source. Clark fired the 'light cannon', the perps were done. Then Clark and his team moved on towards completing their mission. I wish I could remember the book. I've read so many over the last 20 years, cannot discern exactly the title.
That book was "Debt of Honor". Clark and Ding use the light cannon on a Somali warlord and his henchmen, some Yakuza-types holding a politician prisoner, and then use it to crash two AWACS aircraft on landing. It did not cause permanent blindness.
Tom Clancy claims that this gadget is real and that he actually saw it demonstrated.
Debt of Honor, IIRC