Causes of fear of light in people and methods of getting rid of it

Photophobia usually occurs in a complex of other symptoms, which indicates either an eye pathology or a disease affecting the nervous system.

Photophobia Photophobia (scientific name photophobia ) is a pathological reaction to light. When we come out of the darkness into the light or find ourselves under too much bright light, we usually squint, protecting our eyes until they adapt to the new conditions. This is a normal reaction. If adaptation to the lighting regime does not occur, and not only too bright light is inconvenient, but also normal lighting, then photophobia is evident. The light makes you want to close your eyes and cover yourself with your hand. Exposure to light can cause pain in the eyes and increased lacrimation.

General information

With photophobia, a person feels comfortable only in a dark room.
Most people enjoy sunlight and lead an active lifestyle during the daytime, while there are also individuals who are afraid of any lighting and remain “in the shadows.” Such fear can manifest itself both at the somatic and psychological levels. A person can suffer physically, not just emotionally. Normalization of well-being is established when being in a dark room or place.

There are two variants of fear of light.

1. Photophobia is the fear of any type of lighting. A person begins to blink reflexively, especially in bright light. He wishes to return to the darkness, closes his eyes.
2. Heliophobia is a mental disorder in which there is a fear of sunlight, as well as artificial bright lighting. Heliophobia should not be confused with Gunther's disease. The first is of a psychological nature, while the second is a mutation and causes direct harm to the body when exposed to light.

A person who is afraid of sunlight experiences a strong fear that the Sun may cause him physical harm. Such a strong belief can influence the development of real burns while under the Sun.

A person can only be afraid of bright sunlight. On cloudy days, he calmly goes outside and sits indoors with the lights on.

What is photophobia?

It is necessary to know the correct name of this pathology, how it arises and whether it affects a person’s well-being. High eye sensitivity occurs when the patient goes outside during the daytime. A person experiences the following symptoms:

• weakness;
• numbness of hands;
• hair loss.

Photophobia is felt by a person as discomfort during the period when the eyes get used to daylight. Often, unpleasant symptoms appear when the patient is in a lighted room for a long time and the eyes do not tolerate bright light.

The use of special lenses quickly solves the problem. Photophobia is not an independent pathology, but often accompanies diseases of the central nervous system.

Thanks to a long-existing phobia, the following negative processes develop:

• ophthalmological pathology;
• damage to the central nervous system;
• disruption of brain function.

Possible reasons

A person may be afraid of the possible harm caused by the sun's rays

Fear of light is called photophobia. But do not think that photophobia is necessarily a mental disorder. If it occurs suddenly, it may indicate the presence of a serious disease in the body.

Factors influencing the development of fear of light include:

• presence of meningitis;
• constant migraines;
• Gunther's disease;
• botulism;
• a brain tumor;
• general intoxication of the body;
• diseases of the organs of vision;
• manifestation of schizophrenia;
• may be a concomitant disease if agoraphobia occurs;
• a person may be afraid to go out into sunlight due to thoughts about the existing risk of developing skin cancer or burns, sunstroke;
• the result of negative experiences that are associated with daylight or simply with light. For example, this may be a consequence of meningitis, in which severe photophobia was noted, accompanied by intense headaches. Due to difficult experiences, a person is subconsciously afraid of light.

It is necessary to understand that almost all the diseases described above pose a serious danger to the body and require mandatory medical intervention.

Is it possible to avoid photophobia?

Quite if you take care of yourself. In most cases, photophobia in adults arises due to endless overwork, and then it is quite easy to protect yourself: you need to regularly do eye exercises, get up from the computer at least once an hour and, if necessary, consult a doctor who will prescribe eye drops that can lighten the load.

It is also important to wear sunglasses or wide-brimmed hats if daylight is too bright for you, and to have regular checkups with a professional.

Characteristic manifestations

Depending on what type of phobia occurs, as well as how intense its course, the symptoms of the condition vary. Based on the characteristic signs, it is possible to identify exactly what condition provoked the fear of light.

People with photophobia may have the following symptoms:

• increased sensitivity of the skin and eyes to light, in particular to sunlight;
• the appearance of a rash, redness on the skin, itching sensation;
• increased sweating;
• Once in the light, a person’s eyes begin to burn, he squeezes them with all his might, and a burning sensation is felt;
• if there is a medical problem, disease, in particular measles, meningitis, infectious diseases, then high fever, nausea, and vomiting may be present;
• when thoughts about the Sun and light arise, panic attacks are provoked;
• heart rate increases when a person is under bright lighting;
• in a person with photophobia, the skin will certainly be pale;
• An individual who experiences this type of fear prefers to stay indoors during the day and curtains the windows so that light does not penetrate through them. As a rule, it is nocturnal. He sleeps during the day, and is awake at night, working if possible.

Exposure to the sun for a person with photophobia may be accompanied by attacks:

• dizziness;
• growing anxiety;
• yeast all over the body;
• tachycardia;
• panic attack;
• in especially severe cases, fainting, arrhythmia and hypertensive crisis occur.

What is the essence of the problem?

Photophobia is a symptom of increased photophobia, which is inherent in many diseases of the eye and brain. It is not a separate disease, but rather a symptom of other health problems, such as infection or inflammation, that may irritate the eyes.

It is not uncommon for people who are sensitive to light to experience other associated symptoms, such as headaches and eye pain when exposed to very light or bright environments.

Photophobia, or photophobia, is a medical term that refers to the excessive reaction of the eyes to light that occurs in some people. This condition can be chronic or temporary and can occur in both adults and children. Literally, this is “fear of light,” since “phobia” means fear of something, and “photo” means light. However, it is correct to talk not about fear, but about increased pathological sensitivity to light.

It's not just sunlight that irritates people with photophobia. Light sources such as fluorescent or incandescent lamps may also cause discomfort. As a rule, we are talking about bright and intense light, but there is an unpleasant sensation in the eyes even in dim lighting.

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Diagnostics

A psychiatrist or psychotherapist makes a diagnosis of a psychological problem. If there is another reason, then the therapist who redirects to a specialist.

Diagnostic methods include:

• communication between a specialist and a patient in order to identify information about the specific situations in which a state of anxiety occurs; it also becomes clear in what conditions the person lives, what his daily routine is;
• testing for anxiety levels by Spielberger Khanin;
• a test that determines the degree of anxiety on a rank scale.

What light causes photophobia?

Light from the sun, fluorescent lights, or computer and mobile device screens can worsen the symptoms of photophobia.

For people who work in offices, fluorescent lights double the incidence of symptoms such as headaches and migraines, according to studies. Exposure to the sun for 5-10 minutes can cause severe pain in people with light sensitivity. Additionally, patients diagnosed with concussions have reported problems when looking at LED lights and LCD screens on computers or mobile devices.

Artificial light sources from mobile devices, computers and televisions are the main reasons for the development of photophobia of the eyes in humans. However, in a person who already has light sensitivity, any light source can make the problem worse.

Thus, people with photophobia have less tolerance to any type of light. Additionally, high visual contrast, such as when lights flash or flicker, makes it difficult to perceive, and striped patterns cause more migraines and problems for people with photosensitive epilepsy. On the other hand, fluorescent lights seem to be a leading cause of headaches, migraines, eye strain and seizures.

Color and wavelength also affect vision. Blue light, which is used in electronic device screens, fluorescent lamps and other artificial light sources, appears to be the most harmful for people with photophobia, as it increases the risk of migraine attacks and severe headaches.

Possible consequences

1. The individual constantly isolates himself from the world around him. At the same time, his circle of contacts is significantly reduced, and social connections are lost. A person who is afraid of light has problems enrolling in school, higher education, and also starting to go to work, especially well-paid ones. After all, you need to be in all these establishments during the day.
2. Due to the lack of necessary substances obtained from exposure to sunlight on the body, in particular with a lack of vitamin D, a person with this phobia will have problems with teeth (multiple caries and deformations), deterioration of the condition of hair and nail plates, and increased fragility of bones (fractures become frequent), muscle cramps occur.
3. Also, fear of light can lead to the following consequences:

• chronic fatigue;
• incessant headaches;
• development of depression;
• slowing down the growth process;
• serious weight loss.

Symptoms of photophobia

Fear of sunlight is characterized by the following symptoms:

• eyelid tension in dim lighting;
• involuntary blinking;
• discharge of fluid from the eyes;
• dilated pupils;
• redness of the conjunctiva.

Before the onset of the attack, the patient experiences a headache, vertigo, a feeling of sand in the eyes, and blurred vision. The patient has a feeling of spinning like on a carousel. Vestibular syndrome can be accompanied not only by visual impairment. The following symptoms are noted:

• nausea;
• vomit;
• impaired coordination of movements;
• autonomic disorders.

Often bright light causes a migraine attack. With unbearable pain, a person develops symptoms of damage to the nervous system: horizontal or spontaneous nystagmus. Often the patient complains of blurred vision, blurred images of objects, increased intraocular pressure, involuntary movements of the eyeballs, blurred objects. Sometimes a person notices the appearance of color vision impairment in bright lighting. At the height of the attack, scotomas occur and the mucous membrane of the eye becomes inflamed.

Treatment

Psychotherapy has proven itself in the fight against all types of phobias

Complex therapy is required, which includes both psychological influence and medication (if necessary), including those drugs that help improve the condition caused by the side effects of this phobia.

1. Medications may be prescribed to compensate for the lack of calciferol.
2. They may prescribe tranquilizers, antidepressants, and beta blockers.
3. During psychotherapy sessions, they can resort to hypnotic influence, in which a person is instilled with a strong belief that he should not be afraid of light.
4. The cognitive-behavioral method can be used when a specialist changes the incorrect attitudes formed in the patient’s head.
5. Neurolinguistic programming. An individual changes his mind by copying the behavior model of a healthy person.
6. Autotraining is an independent suggestion to yourself that light is not fraught with danger.
7. Desensitization. The phobia is overcome by gradually approaching the object that causes strong fear.
8. If photophobia is caused by some disease that does not have psychological origins, then treatment, depending on the cause, is prescribed by a neurologist, oncologist, ophthalmologist or infectious disease specialist. Therapy is aimed at getting rid of the condition that provokes photophobia.
9. In order to overcome this fear, it is extremely important that a person has support in the form of close people, so that he believes in his strength, his capabilities. It is important that those around you convey the fact that sunlight is very important for the health of any individual, and its absence can lead to serious, undesirable consequences. It is necessary to understand that the state of a person experiencing a phobia can be uncontrollable, and it is extremely difficult to overcome it on your own.

Now you know what photophobia is. As you can see, there may be several reasons that provoke the development of such fear. It is important to understand what this condition is fraught with and what consequences it can lead to.

Risk factors

Anyone who already has sensitive eyes for some reason may be more susceptible to photophobia. Here are some of these factors:

- Eye color.

People with lighter eyes are at greater risk of photophobia because fewer pigments cause light rays to scatter less effectively, making the eyes more sensitive to light.

- Visual impairment.

People with severe vision problems and even blind people may experience some photophobia.

In addition, people with photophobia have a higher risk of developing conjunctivitis, iritis (inflammation of the iris), albinism (a condition in which a person has little pigmentation), and general color deficiency, a condition in which only a few shades of gray are visible.

Finally, there are also people who were already born with this problem and are sensitive to light from infancy.