It’s April. Are You Ready For The Light Of The Sun?

by SonjaHelga on Monday, April 21st, 2008 | Comments Off

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It’s April, and here at Rebuild Your Vision headquarters we find ourselves squinting at the sun. Our eyes, accustomed to the gray Pacific Northwest winter, are adjusting as we clean the barbecue, dig out our bathing suits, and get ready to welcome summer.

For some folks, though, exposure to light is extremely uncomfortable, even intolerable. These people may be suffering from what is known as photophobia.

Fear or Symptom?

Some well-known fears are arachnophobia (fear of spiders), claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces), and acrophobia (fear of heights). While photophobia (from the Greek, literally “fear of light”) does have its place in the pantheon of phobias, it is more commonly used to mean an abnormal inability of the eyes to tolerate light.

This sensitivity to light – whether sunlight, fluorescent light, or incandescent – is often seen in people with light-colored eyes and usually is not a serious problem. Migraine headache sufferers and those with cataracts may also be sensitive to light and glare. However, photophobia can also be a symptom of an underlying problem and is therefore an important warning sign.

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Causes

If you’ve ever had your pupils dilated as part of an eye exam, you’re already familiar with photophobia. Contact lens irritation, sunburn, refractive surgery (such as LASIK surgery), and some medications (quinine, tetracycline, and doxycycline, to name a few) can also cause temporary photophobia.

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A sudden, severe sensitivity to light (which may be accompanied by red or painful eyes, headache, neck stiffness, or blurred vision) that does not go away in a few days may point to more serious problems, such as the following:

corneal abrasions, ulcers, or infections
other eye injuries, illness or infections (such as conjunctivitis,
glaucoma, episcleritis)
meningitis (a potentially fatal central nervous system disorder)
uveitis (an inflammation inside the eye often associated with autoimmune
diseases)
botulism (food poisoning)
rabies
mercury poisoning
use of “street” drugs like amphetamines or cocaine

Treatment

The best treatment for light sensitivity is to determine the underlying cause. But never fear, once the cause is treated, photophobia usually disappears. If you are taking a medication that causes light sensitivity, talk to the prescribing physician about discontinuing it or replacing it with another drug. If there are no underlying causes, you may just need to avoid very bright light and protect your baby blues by wearing a broad-brimmed hat and sunglasses that offer UV protection - a good idea for everybody.

As for that other “photo phobia” – fear of getting your photo taken while wearing your bathing suit – we can only say, black is slimming, horizontal stripes are hard to pull off, and summer’s a great time to take care of yourself. Eat right, exercise (don’t forget your eye exercises!), and enjoy!