Despite warnings, Trump gazed directly at the eclipse. Each of us is different, the angle of the sun, the amount of clouds, and many other variables come into play. There is no definite number of seconds that a person might look directly into the sun and not cause permanent damage to their retina. I looked at the sun for a few seconds on accident and afterwards my eye hurts. Most such solar, or photic, retinopathy is … During sunsets, when the intensity of ultraviolet light is lower due to scattering, avoid looking directly at the sun for more than a few minutes at a time. Staring directly at the sun … Sunglasses and camera filters do not prevent short-term damage, and may make it more likely by dilating your pupil … The President Who Looked at the Sun. After 3 months of sun gazing, you develop a sense of confidence and positive approach to … Now 11 hours later and after using eye drops, one of my eyes still mildly hurts (feels sunburnt - a little dry). ... after even a few seconds. But that doesn’t mean you should be doing it. In about three month’s time, you will be doing it for about 15 minutes. Look at the sun for a maximum of 10 seconds in the safe hours on the first day, and then go on adding ten seconds every succeeding day. During a solar eclipse — when the moon temporarily blocks light from the sun — staring at the sun becomes a lot easier.