Health Encyclopedia

Photophobia

Definition

Photophobia is eye discomfort in bright light.

Alternative Names

Light sensitivity; Vision - light sensitive; Eyes - sensitive to light

Considerations

Photophobia is a fairly common symptom. For many people, photophobia is not due to any underlying disease. Severe photophobia may be associated with eye problems and cause severe eye pain even in relatively low light.

Common Causes

Excessive wearing of contact lenses, or wearing badly fitted contact lenses
Eye disease, injury, or infection (such as chalazion, episcleritis, glaucoma )
Burns to the eye
Common migraine headache
Meningitis
Acute iritis or uveitis (inflammation inside eye)
Corneal abrasion
Corneal ulcer
Drugs such as amphetamines, atropine, cocaine, cyclopentolate, idoxuridine, phenylephrine, scopolamine, trifluridine, tropicamide, and vidarabine
Eye testing in which the eyes have been dilated

Home Care

The discomfort of light sensitivity can be reduced by avoiding sunlight, closing the eyes, wearing dark glasses, or darkening the room. However, the cause for the light sensitivity should be determined, since proper treatment may cure the problem. Seek urgent medical attention if pain is moderate to severe in low-light conditions.

Call your health care provider if

Call your doctor if light sensitivity is severe. For example, if you need to wear sunglasses indoors.

Also call if the sensitivity occurs with headaches, red eye or blurred vision or does not go away in a day or two.

What to expect at your health care provider's office

The doctor will perform a physical examination, including an eye exam. You may be asked the following questions:

When did the light sensitivity begin?
Does it hurt all the time or just sometimes?
How bad is it?
Do you need to wear dark glasses or stay in dark rooms?
Did a doctor recently dilate your pupils?
Do you use contact lenses?
Have you used soaps, lotions, cosmetics, or other chemicals around your eyes?
Have you been around dust, wind, sun, pollens, or chemicals?
Does anything make the sensitivity better or worse?
Have you been injured?
What medicines do you take?
What other symptoms do you have?

Tell your doctor if you have any of these symptoms:

Pain in the eye
Headache
Nausea
Neck stiffness
Blurred vision
Sore or wound in eye
Redness
Itching
Swelling
Dizziness
Numbness or tingling elsewhere in the body
Changes in hearing

The following tests may be done:

Review Date:2/22/2007
Reviewed By:Manju Subramanian, MD, Assistant Professor in Ophthalmology, Vitreoretinal Disease and Surgery, Boston University Eye Associates, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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