Paranoid Cat?

We recently brought out the laser pointer to introduce to our 1.5 year old cat named Onyx. Upon seeing the little red dot, he fled in terror to the bedroom where he hid behind the bed. He was clearly frightened of it, though he did purr when petted and given affection.
   
It has now been over 15 hours and he has refused to leave the bedroom. He keeps staring out the bedroom door like there's something out there that he's afraid of. We have had to bring him water since he doesn't have the courage to go to his dish located in the kitchen. Occasionally when we leave the room he will slink (keeping very low) to the corner and peak his head around, but he always darts back to the bed.
   
Do we just wait it out and hope he gets over his fear? Is there anything we can do to facilitate a faster recovery? He's certainly not himself, but we don't think he's sick since he remains alert and active at times, though he is sleeping a lot, hiding behind a pile of blankets on the bed.

Amazing. I've never heard of a cat who was freaked out by a laser pointer. Most cats love them.
   
He's just (irrationally) scared. Haul the child out of the bedroom every day & close all the doors so he can't just run & hide in a corner. Pay lots of attention to him. Put him on a cat tranquilizer - the pet store has quite a few natural kinds; there's also Feliway.
   
Make him go get his meals in his normal place, don't feed him in hiding. It reinforces the fear. Forcibly put him in his eating area for daily meals; stand over him & pet him soothingly if that helps him stay & eat his food. Give him more canned food for a couple of days, so that he gets more water in his system, until he goes back to his regular habits. Perhaps you could put his food & water dishes inside a large cardboard box with a door cut in it, & let him eat in there, to help him feel a bit more safe.
   
Once he seems kind of calm & normal & isn't hiding under the couch, things should go back to normal.
   
And I guess you'll have to put away the laser pointer until you get another, less irrational, cat in the house.