Photophobia "not a single disease; it's a symptom," says distinguished eye expert

Shelby Ramsey

Special to the Village News

The medical term "photophobia" as it is written, is a misnomer read as "fear or dread of light."

Dr. Kathleen Digre, a distinguished neuro-ophthalmologist and former president of the American Headache Society and former president of the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society, provided more clarification on this topic.

Photophobia "is really a discomfort people have," Digre said. It is defined "as an abnormal sensitivity to light, especially of the eyes," such exposure "definitely induces or exacerbates pain."*

There are many causes that can lead in...