Lucknow: Photophobia or light sensitivity is a condition in which bright lights hurt your eyes. It is a common symptom that is associated with several different conditions ranging from minor irritations to serious medical emergencies. Photophobia is a very common symptom during migraine – in fact it is one of the criteria used to diagnose migraine. However, some individuals have photophobia every day. Some people may be even disabled by this symptom.
According to Dr Sudhir Srivastava of Sun Eye Hospital, “In mild cases it makes the victim squint in a bright light room or while being outside. In more severe cases, this condition causes considerable pain when the eyes are exposed to almost any type of light but the wave length of light (color) may also be important – blue light causes more trouble than other colors of light.’’ Moreover, acute iritis or uveitis, burns to eyes, corneal abrasion, corneal ulcer, excessive use of contact lenses, or using ill-fitted contact lenses, eye disease, injury, or infection (such as chalazion, episcleritis, glaucoma), dilation during eye test, meningitis, migraine headache, etc. are some other factors behind this disease. It is also found that around 80 percent of people who have migraines have photophobia.
Dr Sudhir Srivastava
Elaborating on the course of treatment of photophobia, Dr Sudhir says: “First, adequate treatment of the cause is important—that means if you have dry eyes you should treat that symptom aggressively. Second, be sure that you do not keep yourself in the dark- e.g. no darkened rooms, no darkened windows, slowly increase the amount of light in your environment so that you are more tolerant of the light. Get adequate sleep and treat any depression or anxiety which can make your symptoms worse. That is why your medical provider will do a careful examination to determine the contributing factors. The most common causes of light sensitivity include migraine, blepharospasm, and dry eyes’’
While you may not be able to prevent light sensitivity, certain steps can help prevent some of the conditions that can cause photophobia.Describing about the ways by which Photophobia can be prevented Dr Sudhir Srivastava says: “We should avoid the triggers that cause the victim to have migraine headaches. Prevent conjunctivitis by practicing good hygiene, not touching your eyes, and not sharing eye makeup. Reduce your risk of getting meningitis by avoiding contact with people who are infected, washing your hands frequently, and getting immunized against bacterial meningitis. Encephalitis should be prevented by washing hands frequently. Getting vaccinations against encephalitis and avoiding exposure to mosquitoes and ticks can also help’’.
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