Photophobia / strong light sensitivity

[trobentica]

Hey people!

I've read several posts discusing problem of photophobia / light sensitivity. Uv and fluorescent lights seems to be more problematic than warmer light (that of old school light bulb). I have the same problems (painful, red eyes, headaches). And its very disturbing.

Bright days, computer use, malls and all the uv light are pain in the...

Therefore i would like to ask those who suffer from same problem (due to dry eye or any other condition) how you managed to adress this problem.
It's kinda interesting; my smoke black sun glasses hardly helped, but once i tried my sky glasses that are intense orange tinted- they've helped alot!

The logic seems simple- has anyone tried experimenting whith diffrent kind / colors of lenses? Especially those that block green and blue spectres?

I've found this page http://uuhsc.utah.edu/MoranEyeCenter...1_history.html, that states that rose tinded lenses helped ppl dealing with photophobia. There is company (BPI) that seels these so called therapeutic/blue barrier Tints. http://www.callbpi.com/ and pdf (http://www.callbpi.com/pdf_misc/thera.pdf). Has anyone tried these?

Yes, i know, this is kinda dealing with symptoms; has anyone find more appropriate solution?

[kitty]

I got an anti-glare screen for my computer. I keep all room lights dimmed. I bought some night vision glasses that have an amber tint. They are really great for reducing glare. I also increased the font size on my computer, anything you can do to reduce eye strain can help. Also run a humidifier if your air is dry. I have a cataract on top of DES so have the double whammy with the light sensitivity, and when my DES flares it is all the worse.

[nahzee]

double post.

[nahzee]

Aha, here I go on a way-too-satisfied customer ramble.. but NoIR. The uv and infrared lines at http://noir-medical.com/catalog.htm have been, well, lifesavers. They were willing to work with me and let me exchange glasses massively until I found the right colours. The all-plastic frameless aviators are nice, but extremely prone to breaking- they'll exchange them any time it happens, but what a hassle it is. The fit-overs with plastic work, but leak light- this can be sealed with a variety of materials. If you don't need glasses, the best I've found were the sport wrap-around frames. Excellent wind/light sealing, especially if you buy and wear a strap with them.

Red can help, but it takes a LOT of adjustment because it severely impacts your ability to see colours accurately (or at all, for some)- which means they're a no-no for driving. I've found the 4%, the darkest red they sell, to be good for long outdoor days where I still want 'good' vision that doesn't seem overly dimmed, but is also extremely easy on my eyes photophobia wise- transmitting 4% of visible light, as opposed to the 30% that store-bought sunglasses do. I often use the 45%'s indoors for reading.

The ones I'd recommend most, though, that don't have the trade offs with colour sensitivity, are any of the "ambers" in the infared line. The 2% is really the outright best for outdoor use, while the 10% might be used for watching tv, reading the computer, so on. I generally find that the world looks a lot smoother and well-contrasted than without sunglasses, and definately when compared with grey sunglasses.

For most people with dry eye, it's not really an option, but if you are a rare breed that can tolerate contact lenses, you can get custom lenses made that create an artificially small pupil, thus limiting the amount of light that reaches your eye.

I've found that wearing hats goes a long way in preventing light from leaking into sunglasses, both indoors and outs- it's definately a good habit to get into.

Computer wise, lowering the brightness on your screen and exchanging black text on white to something like pale yellow on black can make a good difference. If you still use a big CRT monitor, throw it out, and buy yourself a newer LCD. If your TV is relatively new, chances are, you can drop it's brightness level. Brightness from windows can be a huge issue, and if you're not fond of covering them with heavy drapes, the simple (if expensive) solution can be getting tints applied to your windows. Since it generally makes your living space a whole lot less depressing, I'd suggest it.

Unfortunately, there aren't too many special tricks to dealing with photophobia. I think the biggest hurdle is realizing that you're probably going to be dealing this from now until forever- it's not something you can really neglect or walk away from. Get away from the idea of 'fixing' it and get serious about management. When you do, the tools are simple. Manage the world around you using window coverings and electronic modifications- including dimmers for all lightbulbs. Manage your eyes personally through sunglasses for all lighting conditions and a fair selection of hats, as well. Invest in a nice lux meter and use it often- if you can keep your environment at levels you eventually figure are the ones most supportive of no symptoms (immediate or long-term), it's all the better.