Light Sensitivity

About the Symptom

Photophobia is increased sensitivity and aversion to light. It causes eye discomfort in bright light. Light sensitivity is most commonly a symptom of an underlying disorder. Most commonly this can be due to migraines or dry eyes.

When to see a doctor

Seek professional care if you experience any of the following symptoms

• Eyes are sensitive to bright light

Possible Causes

Generally, Light sensitivity can be related to:

• Retinitis pigmentosa

  An inherited degenerative disease affecting the retina, the nerve layer lining the back of the eye. It causes loss of night and side vision.

• Sarcoidosis (Including Erythema Nodosum-Like Eruption)

  A disease where small lumps (called granulomas) form in the skin, lungs, eyes, and other organs. Since various organs are affected, there is a wide range of possible symptoms. The exact causes are not well understood.

• Migraine

  A type of headache that typically presents as throbbing, pulsating pain on one side of the head, sometimes with associated nausea or sensitivity to light and sound. Sometimes, sensory disturbances, such as vision changes (seeing flashing lights or zigzag lines), can occur before the headache. The pain may worsen on exposure to bright lights or loud noise. Triggers for migraine include stress, poor sleep, caffeine, and hormonal changes in women.

• Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Disease

• Uveitis

• Polymyalgia Rheumatica

Related serious diseases

Sometimes, Light sensitivity may be related to these serious diseases:

• Meningitis

  Meningitis is an inflammation of the fluid and membrane (meninges) surrounding the brain and spinal cord usually caused by bacterial or viral infections, brain injuries, cancer, and certain drugs. It is a medical emergency that can lead to permanent brain and nerve damage.

• Aseptic Meningitis
• Cerebral Infarction
• Measles

Doctor's Diagnostic Questions

Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this symptom:

• Do your eyes hurt when looking at bright lights?
• How long have you had eye pain or discomfort when looking at a bright light?
• Have you experienced eye pain with bright light before?
• How has the pain or discomfort in your eye(s) when looking at a bright light changed since it started?
• Do you experience discomfort from lighting indoors or outdoors?

Find Similar Symptoms

References

• Burstein R, Noseda R, Fulton AB. Neurobiology of Photophobia. J Neuroophthalmol. 2019 Mar;39(1):94-102. doi: 10.1097/WNO.0000000000000766. PMID: 30762717; PMCID: PMC6383812.

  https://journals.lww.com/jneuro-ophthalmology/Fulltext/2019/03000/Neurobiology_of_Photophobia.16.aspx

• Albilali A, Dilli E. Photophobia: When Light Hurts, a Review. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep. 2018 Jul 30;18(9):62. doi: 10.1007/s11910-018-0864-0. PMID: 30058044.

  https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11910-018-0864-0

• Noseda R, Copenhagen D, Burstein R. Current understanding of photophobia, visual networks and headaches. Cephalalgia. 2019 Nov;39(13):1623-1634. doi: 10.1177/0333102418784750. Epub 2018 Jun 25. PMID: 29940781; PMCID: PMC6461529.

  https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0333102418784750

• Diel RJ, Mehra D, Kardon R, Buse DC, Moulton E, Galor A. Photophobia: shared pathophysiology underlying dry eye disease, migraine and traumatic brain injury leading to central neuroplasticity of the trigeminothalamic pathway. Br J Ophthalmol. 2021 Jun;105(6):751-760. doi: 10.1136/bjophthalmol-2020-316417. Epub 2020 Jul 23. PMID: 32703784; PMCID: PMC8022288.

  https://bjo.bmj.com/content/105/6/751

• Rossi HL, Recober A. Photophobia in primary headaches. Headache. 2015 Apr;55(4):600-4. doi: 10.1111/head.12532. Epub 2015 Mar 19. PMID: 25790126; PMCID: PMC4459705.

  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/head.12532