Photophobia, when the eyes are too sensitive to light

You must be familiar with the word phobia, aka excessive fear. One of them that you may have heard of is photophobia. However, make no mistake. Photophobia is not a psychological disorder due to fear of light, but rather a condition related to eye health. Check out the following explanation.

What is photophobia?

Literally, "phobia" is defined as fear and "photo" means light. However, this time you can't really think of it as being afraid of the light.

Photophobia is a condition where the eyes are very sensitive to light. Sunlight or bright light in a room that can make your eyes uncomfortable or hurt.

Actually, eyes that are too sensitive to light are not a disease, but a symptom of certain eye diseases. Usually, this occurs when the eye has problems and other symptoms are followed.

Photophobia can occur only briefly, for example, after finishing watching a movie. Once you get back into a lighter room, you're bound to squint or blink a few times. It is at this time that your eyes become sensitive to bright light and try to adjust. Sensitivity to light will usually disappear within a few minutes.

Apart from changes in light, certain eye disorders can also cause photophobia that lasts for days. The photophobia you experience will only go away if the eye problem is treated.

What causes photophobia?

The main cause of photophobia is the disruption of the connection between the cells in the eye that detects light and the nerves in your head. This condition can occur if you experience the following things, such as:

1. Being in a dark place for a long time

Source: Parenting Hub

Eyes that are too sensitive to light might happen when you are watching a movie. Being in a dark place for a long time and suddenly moving to a well-lit room, is sure to make you squint from the dryness and glare.

Fortunately, this condition lasts only a few seconds or minutes. Your eyes will return to normal after adapting to the surrounding light.

2. Headache

Nearly 80% of people who experience migraines (recurring headaches) will feel very light when they see bright light. Other types of headaches, such as tension headaches and cluster headaches also often cause photophobia in some people.

3. Eye problems

Apart from headaches, various eye problems can also cause photophobia, such as:

• Dry eyes, causing various symptoms, such as red eyes, eye discharge or watery, itching and burning, and sensitivity to light.
• Uveitis, can cause red eyes accompanied by pain, blurred vision and photophobia, and the appearance of small spots when you see something (floaters).
• Conjunctivitis, it can cause the eyes to be too sensitive to light, the eyes are red, swollen, watery, very itchy, and discharge green, whitish mucus.
• Iritis (swelling of the colored ring around the pupil), causing several symptoms, such as pain in the eye to the eyebrows, red eyes, blurred vision, headaches, and very sensitivity to light.
• Corneal abrasion, causing the eyes to feel blocked, pain when blinking, blurred vision, and too sensitive to light and redness.
• Cataract, can make the eyes sensitive to light, but difficult to see at night.
• Blepharospasm can also cause photophobia. Looking at bright lights, watching television, driving, reading, and stress can aggravate those with blepharospasm.

Apart from those mentioned above, several other eye diseases that can cause photophobia are keratitis and having undergone eye lasik surgery.

4. Psychiatric disorders

Photophobia can also affect people with mental disorders, such as:

• Anxiety disorders
• Bipolar disorder
• Depression
• Panic attack
• Agoraphobia (fear of being in public places)

5. Using certain drugs

There are several drugs that cause photophobia side effects, such as:

• Antibiotics doxycycline and tetracycline
• Furosemide (a drug to treat congestive heart failure, liver disease, kidney disease)
• Quinine (a drug to treat malaria)

6. Problems with the brain

Several problems with the brain can also cause photophobia, namely:

• Meningitis (infection and swelling of the lining of the brain and spinal cord)
• Severe head injury
• The presence of a tumor in the pituitary gland
• Supranuclear palsy (a brain disease that causes movement and balance problems)

What are the symptoms of photophobia?

When photophobia occurs, a person will experience various symptoms, such as:

• Blinking frequently
• The eyes feel sore when they see a bright light
• There is a burning sensation in the eyes
• Watery eyes

How to deal with photophobia?

The best way to treat light sensitive eyes is to avoid or treat the cause. If it is caused by a certain disease, you must follow the treatment recommended by your doctor.

If the cause is drugs, consult a doctor. Your doctor will likely replace the drug with another alternative.

If it doesn't get better, you may need to use special glasses to help treat photophobia. FL-41 glasses have red lenses that can be used to treat this condition. However, not everyone is suitable for these glasses.

Quoted from the US National Library of Medicine, the methods below can relieve your photophobia:

• Avoid the sun
• Close eyes
• Wear sunglasses
• Make the room lighting darker

If eye pain is severe, contact your doctor immediately and discuss the causes of sensitivity to light. Proper treatment can cure the problem. See a doctor immediately if your eye pain is moderate or severe, even when the light is dim.