Other names: photophobia, sensitivity to light

Sensitivity to light or photophobia is usually a sign of eye or nervous system. Man with photophobia is increasingly sensitive to light that he is uncomfortable, and may have problems with the transition from a dark room lit up.

Photophobia is a classic symptom of the eye that accompanies a particular ocular inflammatory diseases – especially in terms of inflammation of the cornea – keratitis, conjunctivitis conjunctiva- or anterior uveitis – inflammation of the iris and ciliary body – iridocyclitis.

Photophobia always occur along with other symptoms that indicate that the problem is probably in the eye: they are eye pain, pressure in the eye, foreign body sensation in the eye, redness of the conjunctiva, swelling of the eyelids, vision impairment or worsening of pain when looking into the near (the patient indicates a strong pain eg. when the ignition cigarettes, etc.). You can recommend avisit to the eye doctor.

For eye diseases, photophobia, although it is sometimes a sign of a serious condition, but is a symptom called photophobia. Meningeal syndrome, which is a serious basically always (or at least until then, until it does not rule out serious causes).

Meningeal syndrome is a set of symptoms that arise on the basis of irritation of the meninges of the brain. Causes irritation are very varied, but can be generalized into three: inflammation, bleeding and tumor – all very serious illness.

For complete information, it should be emphasized basic symptoms of meningeal syndrome: it’s a headache, vomiting (which may be preceded by nausea – which translates as when one is sick, and if sick) or nausea are present not at all – one begins to vomit without he felt the need to vomit. Also important is the sensitivity to external stimuli: light – photophobia and noise – phonophobia.Furthermore, there is a spasm of the neck muscles, and seriously so. Opposition neck – the patient is unable to lower his head so that his chin touched his chest (older people due to degenerative changes of the spine might not be able too).

Very severe causal meningeal syndrome, bacterial meningitis – which still cause of death in children and vice versa in the elderly. A current infection is also a meningococcal type B and C, so it is a very good basic symptoms of bacterial meningitis know and distinguish it from regular flu or conditions that do not require medical intervention.

It is very useful to monitor the time factor of the disease, when the state eg. A child worse by the hour. The illness begins with headache, vomiting, fever up to 40 ° C – impaired consciousness, seizures and bleeding into the skin. Even the mere suspicion of bacterial meningitis, it is necessary to call a doctor, this is a very serious disease, which is burdened with a 10% mortality rate even in case of survival appear complications – hearing loss, seizures, etc.

Photophobia symptom of migraine may be, it is an idiopathic (unknown cause) seizure disorder which manifests itself chiefly headache, but may be expressed in complex bearing other neurological symptoms during an attack – called. Aura. People who suffer from frequent headaches should visit their lékaře- headaches are in fact many types, have many causes, and many of them can be therapeutically managed.

Photophobia can also occur in people who are infected with us very rare or absent in our country diseases – malaria, rabies, etc.