Kent parents are being warned about the potential injuries children can suffer from playing recklessly with Nerf guns.

Doctors have written in the British Medical Journal about treating three children for eye injuries caused by playing with the popular toys, which fire soft foam darts, discs and balls.

One of the patients had replaced the manufacturer's soft darts with a tougher and harder plastic substitute.

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At the moment, the toys have an age limit of eight and over, but doctors have said the safe age limit should be reconsidered.

Strood GP Dr Julian Spinks said: "If you hit the front of the eye with something you cause bruising and that irritates the eye.

"It can be quite a serious problem if something hits the front of the eye.

"Children's eyes are more prone to damage because they are smaller, although both children and adults are at risk from this sort of problem.

"The doctors (who wrote in the British Medical Journal) were concerned because they had three cases in a relatively short period of time.

"There is a temptation for people to put harder bullets in because they are cheaper and people are also adjusting the guns to add greater power."

The maker of the guns, Hasbro, says it aims to make its products as safe as possible.