Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentPrognosis
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prognosis
This article will provide an overview of everything you need to know about solar retinopathy, its symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatment.
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Solar retinopathy can occur in both eyes or only one eye. Milder symptoms may include:
More serious symptoms of solar retinopathy include:
Length of SymptomsSymptoms of solar retinopathy are often temporary and can last anywhere from one month to one year. However, in some cases, there may be permanent damage.
Length of Symptoms
Symptoms of solar retinopathy are often temporary and can last anywhere from one month to one year. However, in some cases, there may be permanent damage.
Even a short amount of direct sun radiation can cause damage to the eye. The damage can also be cumulative (occurring over time), meaning if you continually look directly at the sun, the damage adds up. People who regularly sunbathe are at increased risk.
Children are especially at risk because their retinas do not have the same ultraviolet (UV) protection as adults.
There are other, less common, causes including:
To be diagnosed with solar retinopathy, an eye doctor or retina specialist will have to examine your eyes. They will use optical coherence tomography (OCT), a type of eye imaging, to diagnose issues of the retina.
When to See a DoctorIf you are experiencing any unusual eye symptoms, it is important to see an eye doctor or retina specialist right away. Some eye conditions can be very serious and require immediate attention, such as adetached retina, a condition in which the retina pulls away from the blood vessels supplying it with oxygen and nutrients. A torn or detached retina needs emergency attention and must be treated promptly to avoid permanent eye damage.
When to See a Doctor
If you are experiencing any unusual eye symptoms, it is important to see an eye doctor or retina specialist right away. Some eye conditions can be very serious and require immediate attention, such as adetached retina, a condition in which the retina pulls away from the blood vessels supplying it with oxygen and nutrients. A torn or detached retina needs emergency attention and must be treated promptly to avoid permanent eye damage.
Treatment for solar retinopathy usually means waiting for your symptoms to improve over time. Your vision loss or disturbance can remain for several months, but in most cases, solar retinopathy resolves without treatment.However, permanent vision effects can remain.
Your eye doctor will likely refer you to a retina specialist to monitor your condition. They will likely schedule follow-up appointments with you to monitor your recovery progress.
Preventing Further Damage
Most people’s vision improves, and they may return to a good level of visual acuity. However, recovery can take several weeks to over a year, depending on the level of retinal damage.
In some cases, people never fully recover their vision, although this outcome is rare. The most common approach is to wait it out and see how retinal damage affects your vision over time.
Summary
In most cases, solar retinopathy is a preventable eye injury. Avoid looking directly into the sun, wear glasses with UV protection when outdoors, and do not look directly at a solar eclipse. People have experienced retinal injuries after looking directly into bright light for just a few seconds.
If you do experience any unusual changes to your vision, contact an eye doctor for an exam. Fortunately, most cases of solar retinopathy improve in time. But some cases have long-term damage.
5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Bruè C, Mariotti C, De Franco E, Fisher Y, Guidotti JM, Giovannini A.Solar retinopathy: a multimodal analysis.Case Rep Ophthalmol Med. 2013;2013:906920. doi:10.1155/2013/906920Khatib N, Knyazer B, Lifshitz T, Levy J.Acute eclipse retinopathy: A small case series.J Optom. 2014;7(4):225-228. doi:10.1016/j.optom.2013.12.006Choi S-W, Chun K-I, Lee S-J, Rah S-H.A case of photic retinal injury associated with exposure to plasma arc welding.Korean J Ophthalmol. 2006;20(4):250-253. doi:10.3341/kjo.2006.20.4.250American Academy of Optimology.Solar retinopathy.Abdellah MM, Mostafa EM, Anber MA, El Saman IS, Eldawla ME.Solar maculopathy: prognosis over one year follow up.BMC Ophthalmol. 2019;19(1):201. doi:10.1186/s12886-019-1199-6
5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Bruè C, Mariotti C, De Franco E, Fisher Y, Guidotti JM, Giovannini A.Solar retinopathy: a multimodal analysis.Case Rep Ophthalmol Med. 2013;2013:906920. doi:10.1155/2013/906920Khatib N, Knyazer B, Lifshitz T, Levy J.Acute eclipse retinopathy: A small case series.J Optom. 2014;7(4):225-228. doi:10.1016/j.optom.2013.12.006Choi S-W, Chun K-I, Lee S-J, Rah S-H.A case of photic retinal injury associated with exposure to plasma arc welding.Korean J Ophthalmol. 2006;20(4):250-253. doi:10.3341/kjo.2006.20.4.250American Academy of Optimology.Solar retinopathy.Abdellah MM, Mostafa EM, Anber MA, El Saman IS, Eldawla ME.Solar maculopathy: prognosis over one year follow up.BMC Ophthalmol. 2019;19(1):201. doi:10.1186/s12886-019-1199-6
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Bruè C, Mariotti C, De Franco E, Fisher Y, Guidotti JM, Giovannini A.Solar retinopathy: a multimodal analysis.Case Rep Ophthalmol Med. 2013;2013:906920. doi:10.1155/2013/906920Khatib N, Knyazer B, Lifshitz T, Levy J.Acute eclipse retinopathy: A small case series.J Optom. 2014;7(4):225-228. doi:10.1016/j.optom.2013.12.006Choi S-W, Chun K-I, Lee S-J, Rah S-H.A case of photic retinal injury associated with exposure to plasma arc welding.Korean J Ophthalmol. 2006;20(4):250-253. doi:10.3341/kjo.2006.20.4.250American Academy of Optimology.Solar retinopathy.Abdellah MM, Mostafa EM, Anber MA, El Saman IS, Eldawla ME.Solar maculopathy: prognosis over one year follow up.BMC Ophthalmol. 2019;19(1):201. doi:10.1186/s12886-019-1199-6
Bruè C, Mariotti C, De Franco E, Fisher Y, Guidotti JM, Giovannini A.Solar retinopathy: a multimodal analysis.Case Rep Ophthalmol Med. 2013;2013:906920. doi:10.1155/2013/906920
Khatib N, Knyazer B, Lifshitz T, Levy J.Acute eclipse retinopathy: A small case series.J Optom. 2014;7(4):225-228. doi:10.1016/j.optom.2013.12.006
Choi S-W, Chun K-I, Lee S-J, Rah S-H.A case of photic retinal injury associated with exposure to plasma arc welding.Korean J Ophthalmol. 2006;20(4):250-253. doi:10.3341/kjo.2006.20.4.250
American Academy of Optimology.Solar retinopathy.
Abdellah MM, Mostafa EM, Anber MA, El Saman IS, Eldawla ME.Solar maculopathy: prognosis over one year follow up.BMC Ophthalmol. 2019;19(1):201. doi:10.1186/s12886-019-1199-6
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