Answer: Macular and optic nerve diseases.
Step 1: The photostress test measures how long the macula takes to recover function after being bleached by a bright light.
Step 2: A penlight is shone into the eye for about 10 seconds, then the time taken to read letters one line above best-corrected acuity is recorded as the recovery time.
Step 3: In macular (photoreceptor) disease, regeneration of visual pigment is slow, so the recovery time is markedly prolonged.
Step 4: In optic nerve disease, the photoreceptors are intact, so recovery time stays normal even though vision is reduced. This contrast separates the two.
Ref: Photostress recovery time in macular versus optic nerve disease (PubMed 836667).