What should you know about extreme light sensitivity?

Photophobia may make daylight, screens, or indoor lights uncomfortable enough to cause squinting, eye pain, or a need to close your eyes. It can occur with a red or inflamed eye, a headache, or visual discomfort. Migraine is one possible explanation, while conjunctivitis can cause light sensitivity alongside redness and discharge. Light sensitivity with fever, a severe headache, neck stiffness, confusion, or a new rash is more concerning because meningitis can affect the coverings around the brain.

The timing matters: note whether it began suddenly, follows an eye injury, affects one eye or both, and changes with headache or vision symptoms.

Move to a dim, comfortable room and reduce screen brightness without driving if vision is blurred. Sunglasses can help outdoors, but wearing very dark lenses continuously indoors may make sensitivity harder to manage. Rest, drink fluids, and avoid rubbing the eyes. Do not use someone else’s eye drops, especially drops intended to reduce redness. Arrange a clinical review if the symptom persists, recurs, or interferes with ordinary activities.

Seek urgent medical care for severe eye pain, sudden vision change, marked redness, a recent eye injury, or light sensitivity with vomiting or a severe headache. Go to emergency care immediately for fever with neck stiffness, confusion, unusual drowsiness, or a rapidly developing rash. These warning signs need assessment based on the symptom pattern, not on the assumption that light sensitivity identifies one diagnosis.

Ask what could be causing the sensitivity, whether your eyes need examination, and which symptoms should prompt emergency care. Mention new medicines, contact lens use, headaches, fever, discharge, injury, and any change in vision.