Specialty Neurology ICD-9-CM 368.13 MedlinePlus 003041 | ICD-10 H53.1 DiseasesDB 24599 MeSH D020795 | |
Photophobia is a symptom of abnormal intolerance to visual perception of light. As a medical symptom, photophobia is not a morbid fear or phobia, but an experience of discomfort or pain to the eyes due to light exposure or by presence of actual physical sensitivity of the eyes, though the term is sometimes additionally applied to abnormal or irrational fear of light such as heliophobia. The term photophobia comes from the Greek φῶς (phōs), meaning "light", and φόβος (phobos), meaning "fear". Photophobia is a common symptom of visual snow.
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Causes
Patients may develop photophobia as a result of several different medical conditions, related to the eye or the nervous system. Photophobia can be caused by an increased response to light starting at any step in the visual system, such as:
Common causes of photophobia include migraine headaches, TMJ, cataracts, Sjogren's Syndrome, Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI), or severe ophthalmologic diseases such as uveitis or corneal abrasion. A more extensive list follows:
Eye-related
Causes of photophobia relating directly to the eye itself include:
Nervous-system-related
Neurological causes for photophobia include:
Other causes
Treatment
The best treatment for light sensitivity is to address the underlying cause. Once the triggering factor is treated, photophobia disappears in many but not all cases.
People with photophobia will avert their eyes from direct light, such as sunlight and room lights. They may seek the shelter of a dark room. They may wear sunglasses designed to filter peripheral light and wide-brimmed sun hats.
Wearing sunglasses indoors can make symptoms worse over time as it will dark-adapt the retina which aggravates sensitivity to light. Indoor photophobia symptoms may be relieved with the use of precision tinted lenses (e.g. FL-41) which block the green-to-blue end of the light spectrum without blurring or impeding vision.
A paper by Stringham and Hammond, published in the Journal of Food Science, reviews studies of effects of consuming Lutein and Zeaxanthin on visual performance, and notes a decrease in sensitivity to glare.
Effects
Photophobia may also affect patients' socioeconomic status by limiting their career choices, since many workplaces require bright lights for safety or to accommodate the work being done. Sufferers may be shut out of a wide range of both skilled and unskilled jobs, such as in warehouses, offices, workshops, classrooms, supermarkets and storage spaces. Some photophobes are only able to work night shifts, which reduces their prospects for finding work.