What occurs when retinal tissue is destroyed from a flash burn?

When retinal tissue is destroyed from a flash burn, the process of healing often results in scarring, which can significantly affect vision. Flash burns can cause thermal injury to the retinal cells, leading to necrosis or cell death. The damaged tissue typically does not regenerate fully due to the limited regenerative capacity of retinal cells, particularly those in the inner layers of the retina.

As the tissue tries to heal, scar formation occurs, which can disrupt normal retinal function and interfere with light processing, leading to visual impairment. Depending on the extent of the damage, this scarring can result in permanent changes in vision, such as blurriness or loss of specific visual fields. Therefore, while immediate blindness may not be a guaranteed outcome, the long-term effects of the damage are likely to result in compromised vision due to the scarring process. This makes healing with scarring the most accurate representation of what happens following such an injury.