Photophobia

Editor-In-Chief: Prab R Tumpati, MD
Obesity, Sleep & Internal medicine
Founder, WikiMD Wellnesspedia &
W8MD's weight loss doctor NYC
Philadelphia GLP-1 weight loss and GLP-1 clinic NYC

Photophobia
Photophobia
Synonyms	N/A
Pronounce	N/A
Specialty	N/A
Symptoms	Light sensitivity, eye pain, headache
Complications	N/A
Onset	N/A
Duration	N/A
Types	N/A
Causes	Migraine, meningitis, corneal abrasion, uveitis, cataracts, albinism, conjunctivitis, keratitis, retinal detachment, eye surgery
Risks	N/A
Diagnosis	Clinical diagnosis, patient history, eye examination
Differential diagnosis	Migraine, cluster headache, tension headache, meningitis, subarachnoid hemorrhage
Prevention	N/A
Treatment	Treat underlying cause, sunglasses, tinted lenses, medication
Medication	N/A
Prognosis	N/A
Frequency	Common
Deaths	N/A

Photophobia is a symptom of abnormal intolerance to visual perception of light. As a medical symptom, photophobia is not a morbid fear or phobia, but an experience of discomfort or pain to the eyes due to light exposure or by presence of actual physical sensitivity of the eyes.

Causes

Photophobia is a common symptom of visual disturbances such as migraine, scleritis and conjunctivitis. It can also be caused by meningitis, corneal abrasion, keratitis and other conditions. Photophobia may also be associated with albinism and aniridia.

Treatment

Treatment for photophobia depends on the underlying cause. In many cases, treatment of the underlying cause will resolve the photophobia. For example, if photophobia is due to migraine, then treating the migraine may reduce the photophobia. In other cases, the use of sunglasses or other protective eyewear may be recommended.

See also

• Light sensitivity
• Migraine
• Scleritis
• Conjunctivitis
• Meningitis
• Corneal abrasion
• Keratitis
• Albinism
• Aniridia