Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Photophobiais an extreme sensitivity and aversion to light. While the term literally means the “fear of light,” it is not an actualphobia. Rather, photophobia is due to a medical condition or medications that affect the function of theeyesand/ornervous system. In cases of eye trauma, it may affect one eye rather than both.
When you have photophobia, you may squint, your eyes may tear, and you might suddenly think that the lights are “too bright.” In severe cases, you may even experience eye pain. While photophobia symptoms may be more apparent in bright sunlight, some people can experience discomfort even in moderate levels of artificial light.
This article explores the symptoms and possible causes of photophobia, It also explains how photophobia is diagnosed and ways to treat both the symptoms and underlying causes of extreme light sensitivity.
Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin
Symptoms of Photophobia
Symptoms of photophobia include:
Photophobia can affect people of all ages. It is often a recurrent and benign (not medically serious) experience, but it may develop due to a medical condition. You should seek medical attention if you are having photophobia for the first time because you may need treatment.
Usually, photophobia affects both eyes equally. Sometimes, however, eye problems can cause photophobia in only one eye.
What Causes Photophobia
Photophobia can have a number of different causes. Some are temporary, while others may indicate a medical problem.
Hypersensitivity to Pain
Migraines are the most common cause of recurrent photophobia. Some people experience photophobia during theprodromal phase of a migrainebefore it reaches its peak. However, photophobia can also accompany the most intense phase of a migraine or can occur within a day or two after a migraine resolves.
Fatigue,trigeminal neuralgia, facial neuropathy, head trauma, and fibromyalgia can all be associated with increased sensitivity to pain and discomfort, which may manifest as photophobia.
Head or Face Pain
Tension headaches, dental problems, meningitis, or optic nerve disease (such asoptic neuritisdue to multiple sclerosis) can all irritate your eyes, triggering photophobia. Sometimes, photophobia may be the first sign of one of these illnesses.
Eye Problems
Common eye conditions that cause photophobia include:
Medications
Many medications temporarily induce photophobia. Tetracycline, an antibiotic, is commonly associated with photophobia.
Other medications that can trigger this effect include:
Behavioral Issues
Physiology Behind Photophobia
Some of the conditions that trigger photophobia are related to the eye itself and some affect the way the body detects pain. Conditions that affect the eye, such as dilated pupils or light-colored eyes, actually allow too much light to enter into the eyes, which is inherently unpleasant.
Migraine and trigeminal neuralgia cause the eyes and head to become so sensitive that even sensations that are not normally painful, such as touch, sounds, smells, and light can seem unusually uncomfortable. Illnesses such as meningitis, uveitis, and retinal detachment induce pain due to inflammation and injury to structures in or near the eyes, which can make normal stimuli, such as light, intolerable.
The trigeminal nerve is the nerve that controls sensation of the face and eye and is believed to mediate some of the discomfort associated with photophobia.
Disease or alteration of the function of the retina, which normally detects light, is believed to play a role as well.
The first thing your healthcare provider will ask you is whether your symptoms occur all the time or at certain times. They will also ask whether you experience other symptoms along with your photophobia.
Your physical examination will include an evaluation of your neurological function including your strength, reflexes, coordination, and sensation. Your healthcare provider will also likely check your eye movements, vision, and whether yourpupils(the black circles in the colored part of your eye) constrict, or become smaller, in response to light.
Your healthcare provider will also examine the retina, nerves, and blood vessels behind your eyes using ophthalmoscopy, a painless and non-invasive method of examining your eyes. Ophthalmoscopy can detect cataracts, retinal problems, nerve and blood vessel disease, or glaucoma. You may need to have your pupils dilated with medicated eye drops to make this part of your examination more sensitive.
What You Should Expect If You Are Having Your Pupils Dilated
After your physical examination, you may need other tests, depending on your complaints and any findings on your physical examination. Other tests you may need include:
Treating Photophobia
Treatment of photophobia depends on the cause. When the cause is an underlying medical condition, successful treatment of that condition will help relieve your photophobia.
Diagnosing the cause of your symptoms is important because the conditions that cause photophobia are treated differently from each other.
The other aspect of photophobia treatment is focused on the relief of your symptoms. While your underlying condition is being treated, it may take days or even longer for your photophobia to improve. There are several things you can do to maintain comfort while your condition is resolving.
Be prepared to deal with photophobia from time to time if you experience recurrent migraines. Be sure to have sunglasses, a hat, and comfortable lighting within easy access so that you can minimize the burden of photophobia.
Photophobia is a troublesome symptom that can usually be managed with lifestyle adjustments, such as wearing sunglasses and dimming the lights. However, it can be a sign of a serious medical or eye problem. If you don’t have a diagnosis for the cause of your photophobia, you should seek medical attention and talk to your healthcare provider about your symptoms.
How Light Color Can Help With Migraines
Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Cortese A, Conte A, Ferrazzano G, Sgarlata E, Millefiorini E, Frontoni M, Berardelli A. Photophobia in multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2018 Nov;26:55-57. doi:10.1016/j.msard.2018.09.005
Diel RJ, Kroeger ZA, Levitt RC, Sarantopoulos C, Sered H, Martinez-Barrizonte J, Galor A. Botulinum Toxin A for the Treatment of Photophobia and Dry Eye. Ophthalmology. 2018 Jan;125(1):139-140. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2017.09.031
Sivanesan E, Levitt RC, Sarantopoulos CD, Patin D, Galor A. Noninvasive Electrical Stimulation for the Treatment of Chronic Ocular Pain and Photophobia. Neuromodulation. 2018 Dec;21(8):727-734. doi:10.1111/ner.12742
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