concussion or traumatic brain injury ( TBI ), and trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias ( including hemicrania continua and SUNCT ) can also cause photophobia .
What is Photophobia ? Do lights seem too bright to you ? Does light make your head pain even worse when you have a headache or are in a migraine attack ? Do your eyes ever hurt or feel uncomfortable due to light ? Do you have an aversion to light whether you have pain or not ? If you answered “ yes ” to any of those questions , you most likely have photophobia .
The word , photophobia is derived from two Greek words : photo- “ light ” and phobia “ fear or dread of ”— hence , “ fear of light .” However , in medical terms , it is not a morbid fear or phobia , but rather a symptom , common in migraine , as well as ophthalmic and other neurological disorders . The patient with photophobia experiences discomfort or pain in the eyes due to exposure to light ( sunlight , fluorescent lights , TV or computer screens , or the glare from snow ).
Does the Kind of Light Matter ? The brighter the light , the more discomfort , pain , or aversion you probably feel . The wavelength or color of light also plays a role . Blue-green light causes more photophobia than other colors . Between computer and device screens , fluorescent and LED light bulbs , and even sunlight , our lives are awash with this light .
What Causes Photophobia ? Photophobia is a neurological issue that involves communication between receptors in the eye and the brain . The part of the eye that transmits photophobia to the brain is different than the part that transmits vision . In fact , a person can be completely blind and still be sensitive to light .
What ’ s the Science of Photophobia ? Photophobia has been recorded in medical writings since the 1930s , but has not been well understood scientifically until recent breakthrough discoveries . A team lead by researchers at Harvard Medical School published a study in 2010 that found a pathway from the eye to areas of the brain that are active during a migraine attack . Light can worsen pain during an attack by activating nerve cells in these areas of the brain .
Researchers also found a special kind of cell in the eye – intrinsically-photosensitive retinal ganglion cells . These cells are distinct from the rods and cones in the eye that enable us to see . The cells are more sensitive to some wavelengths of light than others , with particular sensitivity to blue-green light .
Which Headache Disorders Are Associated with Photophobia ?
Migraine Photophobia is so common in migraine that it is one of the symptoms that health care practitioners rely on when making a diagnosis . Between 80 percent and 90 percent of migraineurs will experience photophobia during migraine attacks and even can find low levels of light to be glaring or painful . Between attacks , many people with migraine are more sensitive to light than those without migraine .
32 HeadWise ® | Volume 6 , Issue 3 • 2017
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