The American Academy of Ophthalmology is calling on U.S. law enforcement agencies to stop using rubber bullets as a form of crowd control, saying the bullets can cause serious eye injuries and blindness.

Rubber bullets are touted as a non-lethal means to disperse crowds, but they can cause serious injuries depending on what part of the body they strike. One example: A freelance photographer was permanently blinded in her left eye after being struck in the face with a rubber bullet while covering a protest in Minneapolis in late May.

In a statement, AAO said that while rubber bullets are classified as non-lethal, "they are not non-blinding."

"These life-altering eye injuries are a common result of urban warfare, rioting and crowd dispersion," the group said. "We have seen it around the world, and we now see it in the United States."

AAO called on law enforcement to immediately stop using rubber bullets to disperse protesters, and it urged others in the medical community to join it in condemning the use of the ammunition.

"Americans have the right to speak and congregate publicly and should be able to exercise that right without the fear of blindness," the group said. "You shouldn't have to choose between your vision and your voice."

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