Many people tend to react by closing their eyes or with discomfort before a source of intense light, be it natural such as sunlight or artificial; however, when talking about photophobia, it goes far beyond a simple annoyance that can affect quality of life. On this occasion, Dr. Carlos Atalaya gives us more information on this topic.

What is photophobia?

Photophobia is intolerance to excessive light. It is important to clarify that photophobia is not a disease, rather it is a symptom that may indicate that something is not right.

How does photophobia manifest?

It can manifest accompanied by the following symptoms:

• Eye pain
• Constant or intermittent eye itching
• Excessive tearing
• Redness or inflammation of the eyes
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Nausea and vomiting
• Blurry vision

What are the causes?

The first step to follow is to visit the ophthalmologist to determine the cause of photophobia or sensitivity to light. These can be:

• Dry Eye
• Conjunctivitis
• Corneal lesions
• Uveitis of diverse etiology
• Blepharospasm
• Glaucoma
• Retinopathies
• Central nervous system disorder such as meningitis
• Migraine
• By drugs such as: furosemide, quinine or tetracyclines

What treatments can be found?

The treatment depends on the cause that originates it, for which it is important to go to a specialist to be able to determine the problem and treat it properly, preventing the symptoms from lasting.

Recommendations

• If you are naturally sensitive to light, avoid exposure to sunlight and other strong sources of light.
• Wear wide-brimmed hats and sunglasses with ultraviolet (UV) protection
• For bright sunlight, consider wearing polarized sunglasses, as these lenses provide extra protection from light reflections that create glare on water, snow, and other reflective surfaces
• Choose to wear glasses with photochromic lenses, as these lenses automatically darken in the sun and block 100% of UV rays

Dr. Carlos Atalaya
Ophthalmologist at Clínica Ricardo Palma