Questions and Answers
Questions and AnswersDate: 31 Aug 1998 00:56:36 -0400
23 PHOTOPHOBIA My sister during the last few weeks has been suffering from 'photophobia', extreme sensitivity of the eyes to light. Even the light from opening the refrigerator door bothers her. She also gets 'sick' headaches as a result of this problem. She went to her eye doctor. He had her discontinue wearing her contact lenses, confident that would solve the problem in a few days (thinking it was an allergy to the lenses or cleaning solutions). But it didn't help. He couldn't find anything wrong with her eyes, and sent her to her family doctor. Her doctor took blood tests, and also took an MRI of her head. But all tests were normal! Her doctor has given her some medication for migraines, BUT he says that her symptoms are really atypical for migraines, because her photophobia was the first symptom, and seemed to cause the headaches. (The medicine maybe helped a little - as a pain killer? - but not much). Her ophtamologist examined her eyes also and said they were very normal (and he did not think the problem was a migraine either). She is next being sent to a neurologist. Possible causes for photophobia that I've seen on the web so far seem most likely ruled out by the tests already done, or else seem to be usually coupled with OTHER symptoms that she doesn't have. Does anyone have any ideas about what might be causing this problem, given the information above? Other info possibly pertinent: she's an adult; she doesn't use a computer very much; her job does involve some outdoor activity; I don't think she ever had this problem before; there wasn't any obviously relevant experience such as exposure to bright light; she has blue eyes but brown hair with medium skin tone; and of course she is using sunglasses a lot now. Answer by Dr. George Schmidt, Holistic Optometrist Obviously, if two doctors who have examined your sister haven't been able to figure out what's up, it'll be pretty tough for me as well. However, things which should have been ruled out include a mild corneal punctate keratitis, which could be caused by allergic reactions to medications or eyedrops she might be using. Her contact lenses should be removed and left out until her eyes have cleared. A homeopathic eye drop, Similisan II, may be helpful. Check your local healthfood store. She should probably go see another eye doctor, or return to her previous ones, to have them look for other possible causes. (A good diagnostic test is to put anesthetic eye drops in her eyes to see if the symptoms improve - indicating a surface defect is responsible and not a neurological cause.) Disclaimer: The material contained here should not be considered a substitute for a physician. These are only general guidelines to help you think about the medical possibilities. We direct you to your doctor for an answer you can trust. *** See Ask the Doctors on the web at http://www.flora.org/ask-doctor/ ***