In addition, fibromyalgia also has a tendency to be comorbid with other neurological conditions such migraine, which is inherently associated with greater levels of painful sensitivity to light. Many FM patients are already likely to have dysfunction in how they process external stimuli such as touch, sound and light-this is a primary cause or trigger of pain and flares. 7 A few hypotheses have emerged as to the link between light sensitivity and fibromyalgia. One study showed that as many as 70% of fibromyalgia patients displayed photophobic pain responses to light exposure, compared with just 6% of people who were not diagnosed with FM. Fibromyalgiaįor individuals with a chronic pain disorder, such as fibromyalgia, there is also a significant chance that they experience photophobia and light sensitivity. Veterans with TBI or post-concussion syndrome have proven to be a particularly vulnerable population and, as a result, may experience photophobia at greater rates than civilians with a similar condition. 6 While photophobia may dissipate within a few weeks after a concussion, it can last for several months or indefinitely depending on several factors-such as severity of brain trauma, existence of prior injuries, or improper treatment. Experts have suggested that it may affect more than 40% of post-concussion patients and 50% of those who have suffered a traumatic brain injury or TBI, although those numbers may actually be higher than what has been documented. Photophobia is the second most prevalent symptom after headache reported by post-concussion syndrome or traumatic brain injury patients. 5 Concussion, post-concussion syndrome and traumatic brain injury In addition, dry eye patients with persistent photophobia experience less relief with artificial tears, a common remedy for the ocular disorder. Three out of four individuals diagnosed with dry eye have reported painful light sensitivity with nearly 40% of these cases rated as severe. Dry eye diseaseĭry eye disease is one of many eye-specific conditions that can result in photophobia, and it is the most frequent cause of the symptom. 4 Read more about the connection between migraine and photophobia. 3 Some research has even suggested that there may be a seasonal component to migraine-related light sensitivity. People with migraine generally have been shown to have a lower threshold for bright light as well as greater photophobia between attacks as well. Moreover, photophobia is common at all stages of a migraine attack, from the aura phase through the postdrome (or post-attack) period. In fact, it is one of the distinguishing diagnostic criteria for the condition. MigraineĪfter headache or head pain, light sensitivity is the most prevailing symptom of migraine-affecting approximately 90% of individuals with the headache disorder. In this next section, we take a deeper look at how photophobia impacts some of the more prominent conditions on this list. Video courtesy of Canadian Association of Optometrists
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