Why do adults develop photophobia and how to treat it?

Photophobia, or photophobia - a deviation characterized by the appearance of severe discomfort in the eyes, caused by artificial illumination of the room.At the same time, in the dark or twilight, the visual organs feel and function quite normally.

Photosensitivity (another name for photophobia) is manifested by rather acute symptoms. It causes a strong feeling of pain and pain in the eyes, although such signs can also speak about the development of various ophthalmic pathologies, diseases of the nervous system or diseases, accompanied by pronounced intoxication of the body.

Depending on the causes of the anomaly, the method of its treatment is selected.

The main causes of photophobia

The most common causes that can cause photophobia in adults are:

Conjunctivitis - inflammation of the eye conjunctiva, accompanied by pain and cutting in the eyes, redness of the eye proteins, sometimes - the formation of pus (in the bacterial nature of the disease);
Irit - inflammation of the iris of the optic organ;

instagram viewer

Keratitis - inflammation of the cornea;
Mechanical damage to the cornea;
Formation of ulcers or tumors in the eye area;
Albinism is a disease in which light rays penetrate not only through the pupils, but also through the discolored iris;
Frequent prolonged migraines;
Colds;
Prolonged exposure to sunlight;
Eye irritation caused by violation of the rules of stay in the solarium;
Congenital photophobia, accompanied by a partial or complete absence of melanin pigment;
Medicamentous treatment of various diseases;
Daily long stay at the computer;
Exposure to the eyes for prolonged exposure to bright light;
Acute attack of glaucoma;
Erosion of the cornea caused by the ingress of a foreign object onto the eye cornea;
Investigation of the fundus of the eye with subsequent artificial dilatation of the pupil;
Viral and infectious diseases like measles, rabies, botulism;
Photophobia can also be a side effect of taking furosemide, quinine, doxycycline, belladonna, tetracycline, etc .;
Detachment of the ocular retina;
Thermal or sunburn eyes;
Surgical interventions in the visual area (one or both);
Long stay in a dark room, after which suddenly there is a bright light (such changes lead to the fact that the pupil just does not have time to adapt to the new conditions; this is quite normal, so do not take it as a deviation).

The manifestation of photosensitivity is a fairly common anomaly in people wearing contact lenses. But such a deviation does not always arise, but only if they were incorrectly selected. In such a situation, the cornea becomes irritated, which can also cause tearing and pain in the eyes.

Do not worry if photophobia arose on the background of a long stay in a semi-lighted room. After the sudden appearance of bright light, the eye does not have time to adapt to the new conditions, which can cause pain, pain and black spots (or dots). A similar deviation is observed in people who are accustomed to read for a long time or work at a computer, and also after awakening. But if photophobia is a constant symptom that does not disappear over a long period of time, this should seriously alert the person and make him turn to the ophthalmologist.

What are the symptoms?

Photophobia is called intolerance of bright light of artificial or natural origin, which occurs in one or both organs of sight.

Getting into the conditions of bright illumination, people suffering from photophobia, start to reflexively squint and cover their eyes with their hands, or completely shut their eyes. This is due to the instinctive desire of the patient to protect the visual organ from further irritation. If a person wears sunglasses, the symptoms of photophobia are less pronounced.

With increased sensitivity of the eyes to light, the following symptoms may occur:

blurring of contours of objects;
deterioration of vision;
thread and the feeling of sand in the eyes;
hyperemia of the mucous membranes of the eyeballs;
dilated eye pupils;
increased tear;
attacks of headache.

Despite the above symptoms, photophobia in most cases is not an independent disease, but a sign of various ophthalmologic pathologies. In particular, if the patient also has:

swelling of the eyelids;
redness of the eye proteins, which does not pass for a long period of time;
presence of pus in the eyes.

In the absence of such symptoms, one can speak of a neurological origin of pathology. However, in order to at least approximately understand what disease occurs, it is necessary to clearly identify the signs that accompany photosensitivity.

Possible complications

One of the most probable complications of photophobia is the aggravation or chronicization of the disease that caused its occurrence. In severe cases, ignoring photosensitivity can lead to even a complete loss of vision.

In addition to significantly reducing the quality of life of the patient, photophobia can cause the development of a serious psychological condition, such as heliophobia. Pathology is accompanied by a strong, often panic fear of the sun's rays. People with heliophobia (and even those patients who have already gotten rid of photosensitivity) experience a strong emotional shock before going out into the sunlight, afraid that he will again cause them pain, pain and discomfort in the eyes.

Fear of sunlight is accompanied by:

increased pulse and respiration;
trembling in the limbs;
arrhythmia attacks;
nausea, sometimes with vomiting;
dizziness with the possibility of a short-term loss of consciousness (syncope);
panic attacks;
hysteria.

When there is an increased sensitivity to light, it is not necessary to neglect anxiety symptoms. To avoid dangerous consequences, it is necessary to contact the ophthalmologist as soon as possible, since in some cases photophobia can be one of the signs of the presence of a brain tumor.

How to treat photophobia?

Since photophobia is only a symptom of a certain pathology, first you need to find out the cause of its occurrence. Eliminating the underlying disease, the patient will be able to get rid of the manifestations of photophobia. It should be remembered that it is unlikely to eradicate the existing problem on its own, since most eye pathologies are similar to each other in terms of clinical picture.

For this reason, it is necessary to consult an ophthalmologist and undergo a series of diagnostic studies. In particular:

Ophthalmoscopy, during which the doctor examines the fundus with the use of a special technique for the artificial dilatation of the pupil;
Biomicroscopy, carried out using a slit lamp, by which the eye is inspected for changes in the areas of the fundus, as well as in the vitreous humor;
Perimetry, with the help of which the doctor checks the patient's fields of vision;
Tonometry- procedure, during which the ophthalmologist measures the intraocular pressure;
Gonioscopy- research, in which the iris of the eye borders on its cornea;
Pachymetry, which involves measuring the thickness of the cornea;
Ultrasound examination, which is performed when it is impossible to perform ophthalmoscopy, and promotes careful study of the transparent environment of the visual organ;
Fluorescence angiography, when the patency of the eye blood vessels is investigated;
Optical coherence tomography, with the help of which it is possible to detect changes in the tissues of the ocular retina;
Electroretinography- a procedure that promotes a complete assessment of the functioning of the ocular retina;
Bacteriological examination of secretions from conjunctival sacs, for the detection of viruses (by PCR), pathogenic microorganisms or fungi.

If the above procedures have shown that the patient has no visual health problems, he is shown a consultation of a neurologist. They can be assigned the following diagnostic procedures:

MRI of the brain;
electronic cephalography;
dopplerography of the cervical blood vessels that go into the cavity of the skull.

If necessary, ultrasound scan and biochemical blood tests for TSH, T4 and T3 - the hormones produced by this gland. If hyperthyroidism or diabetic retinopathy is detected, the treatment will be performed by an endocrinologist. If there are signs of a tuberculous process in the eye conjunctiva or cornea, the patient is referred to the TB doctor.

Prevention

To prevent the occurrence of photosensitivity, first of all, protect the eyes from bright light. To do this, you need to purchase polarizing sunglasses, which will filter the ultraviolet radiation, preventing the penetration of a large number of it into the organs of vision.

In addition, it is necessary:

As little as possible rub your eyes, especially on the street, in the hospital and other public places;
more often give rest to the eyes while working at the computer;
use preparations of artificial tears (Vidisik);
if there is purulent inflammation, use antiseptic or antibacterial drops (Okomistin, Levomycetin, Sulfacil, etc.).

If photophobia is the result of a mechanical eye injury (injury, burn, stroke, etc.), the patient must immediately contact the ophthalmologist. To do this, call an "ambulance", then treat the eye with an antiseptic, and on top of the optic - impose a sterile bandage. Do not delay the visit to the doctor, because the usual and, at first glance, harmless photophobia can hide diseases that can be a mortal danger to the patient.