Photophobia
| Photophobia | |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Ophthalmology |
Photophobia is a medical
Causes
Patients may develop photophobia as a result of several different medical conditions, related to the eye, the nervous system, genetic, or other causes.
Photophobia may manifest itself in an increased response to light starting at any step in the visual system, such as:
- Too much light entering the eye. Too much light can enter the eye if it is damaged, such as with corneal abrasion and retinal damage, or if its pupil is unable to normally constrict (seen with damage to the oculomotor nerve).
- Due to albinism, the lack of pigment in the colored part of the eyes (irises) makes them somewhat translucent. This means that the irises cannot completely block light from entering the eye.
- Overstimulation of the photoreceptors in the retina
- Excessive electric impulses to the optic nerve
- Excessive response in the central nervous system
Common causes of photophobia include
Causes of photophobia relating directly to the eye itself include:
- Achromatopsia[7]
- Aniridia[8]
- Anticholinergic drugs may cause photophobia by paralyzing the iris sphincter muscle[citation needed]
- Aphakia[9]
- Blepharitis[10]
- Buphthalmos[8]
- Cataracts[8]
- Coloboma
- Cone dystrophy[8]
- Congenital abnormalities of the eye[8]
- Viral conjunctivitis[11]
- Corneal abrasion[8]
- Corneal dystrophy[8]
- Corneal ulcer[12]
- Disruption of the corneal epithelium, such as that caused by a corneal foreign body or keratitis[8]
- Ectopia lentis[8]
- Endophthalmitis[8]
- Eye trauma caused by disease, injury, or infection such as chalazion, episcleritis, keratoconus, or optic nerve hypoplasia[8]
- Iritis[8]
- Isotretinoin has been associated with photophobia[13]
- Optic neuritis[8]
- Pigment dispersion syndrome [citation needed]
- Pupillary dilation (naturally or chemically induced)[9]
- Retinal detachment
- Scarring of the cornea or sclera[8]
- Uveitis[8]
Neurological causes for photophobia include:
- Autism spectrum disorders[14]
- Chiari malformation
- Dyslexia[15]
- myalgic encephalomyelitis[16]
- Meningitis[8]
- central sensitization (hence, multiple other associated hypersensitivities). Causes can be bad bite, infected tooth, etc.[17]
- Progressive supranuclear palsy, where photophobia can sometimes precede the clinical diagnosis by years[18]
- Subarachnoid haemorrhage[19]
- Tumor of the posterior cranial fossa[8]
- Visual snow along with many symptoms[citation needed]
Other causes
- Ankylosing spondylitis[20]
- Albinism[21]
- Ariboflavinosis[22]
- Chemotherapy[8]
- Chikungunya[25]
- Cystinosis[8]
- Drug withdrawal
- Ehlers–Danlos syndrome
- Infectious mononucleosis[26]
- Influenza[27]
- Magnesium deficiency[28]
- Mercury poisoning[29]
- Migraine[30]
- Rabies[31]
- Tyrosinemia type II[8]
- Superior canal dehiscence syndrome[32][not specific enough to verify]
Treatment
Treatment for light sensitivity addresses the underlying cause, whether it be an eye, nervous system or other cause. If the triggering factor or underlying cause can be identified and treated, photophobia may disappear. Tinted glasses are sometimes used.[33]
Artificial light
People with photophobia may feel eye pain from even moderate levels of artificial light and avert their eyes from artificial light sources. Ambient levels of artificial light may also be intolerable to persons afflicted with photophobia such that they dim or remove the light source, or go into a dimmer lit room, such a one lit by refraction of light from outside the room. Alternatively, they may wear dark
Other strategies for relieving photophobia include the use of tinted contact lenses and/or the use of prescription eye drops that constrict the pupil, thus reducing the amount of light entering the eye. Such strategies may be limited by the amount of light needed for proper vision under given conditions, however. Dilating drops may also help relieve eye pain from muscle spasms or seizures triggered by lighting/migraine, allowing a person to "ride out the migraine" in a dark or dim room. 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.[36]
Disability
Photophobia may preclude or limit a person from working in places where lighting is used, unless the person is able to obtain a reasonable accommodation like being allowed to wear tinted glasses. Some people with photophobia may thereby be better able to work at night or be more easily accommodated in the workplace at night.
Outdoor night lighting may be equally offensive for persons with photophobia, however, given the wide variety of bright lighting used for illuminating residential, commercial and industrial areas, such as LED (light-emitting diode) lamps.[37][38]
The increasing popularity of "overpoweringly intense" LED headlights being used on "
See also
- Photic sneeze reflex, a medical condition by which people exposed to bright light sneeze
- Photosensitivity in humans
References
- ^ thefreedictionary.com/photophobia citing:
- Dorland's Medical Dictionary for Health Consumers. 2007
- The American Heritage Medical Dictionary Copyright 2007
- Miller-Keane Encyclopedia & Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. 2003
- Millodot: Dictionary of Optometry and Visual Science, 7th edition. 2009
- ^ thefreedictionary.com/photophobia citing:
- Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Copyright 2008
- Mosby's Medical Dictionary, 8th edition. 2009
- McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. 2002
- ^ thefreedictionary.com/photophobia citing:
- The American Heritage Medical Dictionary Copyright 2007
- Millodot: Dictionary of Optometry and Visual Science, 7th edition. 2009
- ^ φῶς, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus
- ^ φόβος, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus
- S2CID 205670593.
- ^ "Achromotopsoa". Scottish Sensory Centre. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-86542-831-7.
- ^ a b "Photophobia". Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Archived from the original on September 29, 2009. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
- ^ "Blepharitis". The Lecturio Medical Concept Library. 28 September 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
- ^ "Conjunctivitis". Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
- ^ "Corneal ulcer". Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
- S2CID 37897437.
- S2CID 32110116.
- ^ "Light sensitivity – photophobia". Royal National Institute of Blind People. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
- ^ "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome". University of Virginia Health System. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
- PMC 3937250.
- PMID 18328771.
- ^ "Photophobia – Glossary Entry". Genetics Home Reference. United States National Library of Medicine. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
- ^ "Ankylosing spondylitis". United States National Library of Medicine. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
- ^ "Albinism". MedicinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. United States National Library of Medicine. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
- ISBN 978-0-12-709801-2.
- PMID 14966178.
- PMID 7914165.
- PMID 19237792.
- PMID 5828906.
- ^ Hunt, Margaret. "Influenza Virus (Orthomyxovirus)". University of South Carolina School of Medicine. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
- ISBN 978-1-84628-388-8.
- PMID 2113168.
- S2CID 10230356.
- PMID 7935313.
- ^ SCDS Society
- ^ Bailey, Gretchyn. "Photophobia (Light Sensitivity)". All About Vision. Retrieved 2012-11-13.
- PMID 19410958.
- PMID 26875996.
- PMID 20492192.
- ^ Guide to Photophobia/Light Sensitivity, axonoptics.com. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
- ^ Lightmare, lightmare.org. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
- ^ "Blinded by Brighter Headlights? It’s Not Your Imagination.", The New York Times, 5 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.