Photic retinopathy is damage to the eye's retina, particularly the macula, from prolonged exposure to solar radiation or other bright light, e.g., lasers or arc welders.
[1] It usually occurs due to staring at the Sun, watching a solar eclipse, or viewing an ultraviolet, Illuminant D65, or other bright light.
[1] Vision loss due to solar retinopathy is typically reversible,[4] lasting for as short as one month[2] to over one year.
The energy is still phototoxic: since light promotes oxidation, chemical reactions occur in the exposed tissues with unbonded oxygen molecules.
But while even that edema goes away, within a few days the patient will generally develop a discoloration of the retina at the injured point, often yellow or white, turning red over the next few weeks.