Final answer:
Photolyase is the enzyme that corrects damage caused by UV light resulting in thymine dimers through a process called photoreactivation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The enzyme responsible for the direct repair of damage caused by UV light leading to thymine dimers is photolyase. The process is known as photoreactivation, where photolyase binds to the distorted DNA caused by thymine dimers and, in the presence of visible light, reverses the damage. This contrasts with nucleotide excision repair, which removes the dimer and replaces it with the correct nucleotides, a process involving enzymes such as DNA polymerase I and DNA ligase.