system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5:Is it possible to blind yourself permanently by just staring at the sun? If so how long would it take?
gpt
Yes it is possible, but not in the sense most people think.  If you stare at the sun long enough you can damage the cells in the fovea, the center of the macula, which is the visual center of the retina, the lining of the eye.  The macula contains the vast majority of cone cells.  Solar retinopathy occurs from phototoxicity, and is not thermal in nature (ants versus magnifying glass).  It typically causes central vision loss.  If all you can see on the eye chart is the big "E" you are legally blind.  Solar retinopathy does not cause NLP (no light perception-"Helen Keller blindness).  It tends to get better over time (months) but can be permanent.  It can be seen in individuals with psychiatric disease, and has been seen in some religious practices.

Message received: Staring at the sun causes a bad chemical reaction in the lining of the eye.  It is not like cooking ants with a magnifying glass.  It can make it hard to see but won't leave you blind.  It usually gets better.  There.