Looking into the sun is dangerous, and can cause solar retinopathy and lead to permanent eye damage or blindness.

Solar retinopathy due to direct sunlight exposure.

Vision loss due to solar retinopathy is typically reversible, lasting for as short as one month to over one year.

Solar retinopathy is damage to the eye's retina, particularly the macula, from prolonged exposure to solar radiation or other bright light.

Solar retinopathy, damage to the eye's retina due to solar radiation, and blindness to varying degrees and persistence frequently result from sungazing during a solar eclipse.

In December 2009, an ophthalmologist from University Hospital Galway issued a warning that there had been a significant spike in the number of cases of solar retinopathy "all of them linked to events at Knock", with the observed patients having had "a significant reduction in their vision".