Provided is an optical material wherein the proportion of a retro-reflective area of the optical material is large when observed with light obliquely irradiated relative to the direction of the normal of the optical material. The optical material includes a substrate and a dot formed on the surface of the substrate. The dot has wavelength selective reflectivity and a cholesteric structure that gives a stripe pattern formed by bright and dark parts in a cross-sectional view of the dot as observed with a scanning electron microscope. The profile of the dot opposite the substrate in the cross-section along the thickness direction thereof has at least one inflection point, and the angle formed between the normal to a line formed by a first dark part from the surface of the dot opposite the substrate and said surface in the cross-section along the thickness direction of the dot is within the range of 70° to 90°. Also provided are a method for manufacturing the optical material, and an image display device.
