Finder image search results disappear when opened with Preview

Finder image search results disappear when opened with Preview

I've seen this mentioned by others over the past few years, but never found a resolution. This is happening on 15.7.2, but has been happening over the past few years (and those recent operating systems).

I do a search in the finder and get the normal results. If I click on any sort of image file so that it opens with Preview (or select open with preview from the menu), then it disappears from the search results. A new search also doesn't find it. This is for any search results that are based on the contents (not filename).

This doesn't happen if I open the image file with another app. It doesn't happen with PDF files (even if I use Preview). It doesn't happen with non-image file types as far as I can tell.

It seems as if the image is removed from the index. Is there a way to check if a file is in the search index? Why would Preview cause it to be removed?

I also tested if I go directly to the image and open with preview. This also removes it from the search index. But it only removed for searches based on the image contents (e.g. text in the image or description). But if I search by the file name, it is found

If I cause my computer to reindex then it seems that the images return. It takes a long time, so not easy for me to verify right now.

This has been happening for a few years as I mention and see other people with the same problem.