Alternate Names: Photophobia; Light sensitivity; Light hurts the eyes; Sensitivity to sunlight

Considerations: Photophobia is a fairly common symptom. For many people, photophobia is not due to any underlying disease.

Common Causes:

• excessive wearing of contact lenses or badly fitting contact lenses
• eye disease, injury, or infection (such as chalazion, episcleritis, glaucoma)
• burns to the eye(s)
• common migraine headache
• meningitis
• acute iritis
• corneal abrasion
• corneal ulcer
• uveitis
• drugs such as amphetamines, atropine, cocaine, cyclopentolate, idoxuridine, phenylephrine, scopolamine, trifluridine, tropicamide, and vidarabine
• eye testing in which the eyes have been dilated

Home Care: The discomfort of light sensitivity can be reduced by avoiding sunlight, closing the eyes, wearing dark glasses, or darkening the room.

Call If:

• photophobia is unexplained, persistent, or accompanied by red eye(s) or blurred vision.

What To Expect: The medical history will be obtained and a physical examination performed.

Medical history questions documenting the sensitivity to light in detail may include:

• time pattern
  • When did this begin?
  • Is the sensitivity to light constant or occasional?
• quality
  • How severe is the sensitivity?
  • Are dark glasses needed?
  • Are darkened rooms needed?
• aggravating factors
  • Have the pupils recently been dilated with medications?
  • Do you use contact lenses?
  • Do you have headaches?
  • Do you use soaps, lotions, or cosmetics around your eyes?
  • Have you had an exposure to dust, wind, sun, pollens, or chemicals?
• relieving factors
  • Is it better after you rest?
  • Is it better when you wear dark glasses?
  • Is it better when you are in darkened rooms?
  • Do any medications make it better?
• other
  • What other symptoms are also present?
    • pain in the eye
    • headache
    • nausea
    • neck stiffness
    • blurred vision
    • sore or wound in eye
    • redness
    • itching
    • swelling
    • dizziness
    • numbness or tingling elsewhere in the body
    • changes in hearing
• additional important information
  • What medications are being taken?
  • Have you had any injuries?
  • Do you have a history of migraine headaches?
  • Do you use "street drugs"?

• corneal scraping
• slit-lamp examination
• lumbar puncture