Photostress testing determines how quickly the photoreceptor cells in the retina recover after being bleached by a bright light. The test involves exposing one eye to a light for 10 seconds to bleach the photoreceptors, then timing how long it takes for the patient to read letters at a certain size after the light is removed. Recovery times longer than 50 seconds are considered abnormal and may indicate a macular disease. The test provides a measure of macular function by assessing how quickly the visual pigment can be resynthesized after being bleached.