My eyes are EXTREMELY sensitive to light.. What can I do without wearing sunglasses indoors?

Question

Is there anything I can do for my light-sensitive eyes? I find I'm squinting ALL THE TIME unless it's quite dark. At work as well as out and about, I'm walking around squinting (and thus, looking mean and silly!), and probably giving myself wrinkles. Is there a way I can help this/remedy this without wearing a wide brimmed hat or sunglasses indoors?

I do not have any eye problems.. My vision otherwise, is perfect. I do not wear glasses or contacts. The only issue I ever had, when I went to the opthamologist (sp?) a few years ago, and also when I went to get fitted for color contacts, were that my pupils dilate more than average, which is probably why they let in more light. (they would dilate over the colored area of the color contacts, so I couldn't wear them either.. Bummer!)

Any help/advice is greatly appreciated, as I hate walking around with a light-induced scowl on my face when everyone else is fine, light-wise and thinks I'm just odd!

Answer 1

Medical studies have increasingly tied chronic exposure to UV and near-UV rays to ocular diseases like cataracts and macular degeneration. Shade does not provide adequate protection, as the eyes still absorb UV radiation, especially when near water, snow, or highly reflective surfaces like concrete or sand. The best way to protect your eyes is a quality pair of sunglasses that meet recommended criteria for sun protection.

Although lenses are the most important feature, if the frames allow a considerable amount of light to enter the eyes without first being filtered through the lenses, much of the sun protection is lost. The most effective frames are a wrap-around style that blocks light from entering at the sides. Wraparounds also hug the face, lessening the amount of light that can enter over the top or at the cheekbones.

It is also vital that the lenses offer maximum sun protection. This isn’t dependent on how dark the lenses are, but rather on their ability to filter out certain wavelengths. Look for lenses that block 100% UV-A and UV-B rays. These are the same rays that cause sunburn and skin cancer. Though UV-C rays are often mentioned, the earth’s atmosphere blocks virtually all of these.

It is also important to look for lenses that filter near-UV light. Studies suggest that excessive exposure to near-UV light contributes to macular degeneration as we age, a chronic disease that results in deteriorated visual clarity. Near-UV is also called high energy visible (HEV) light or “blue light.” These rays are less destructive than UV-A or UV-B rays and do not have to be blocked entirely, but this spectrum should be at least partially filtered to provide better sun protection.

The near-UV range falls between 400 and 515 nanometers (nm) within the visible light spectrum. If glasses “block near-UV to 400nm,” this is an indicator that they don’t block much of this spectrum. Conversely, if they “block near-UV light to 515nm,” they filter out the entire spectrum, eliminating blue.

Yellow lenses remove the blue light spectrum completely, filtering all near-UV rays. This distorts color perception and feels harsh to many people. Amber lenses block some of this range and are less harsh then yellow lenses, preserving more true color. Melanin lenses are fairly new, based on the body’s own form of built-in sun protection, and filter a large portion of the near-UV or blue light spectrum while maintaining the truest color of HEV-blocking lenses.

Quality sunglasses will have a tag or accompanying information revealing the amount of sun protection they provide. Sunglasses missing this information probably don’t provide maximum sun protection, as 100% UV blockage and HEV filtering are valuable selling points.

Though sunglasses don’t have to be expensive, quality sunglasses are an investment in the long-term health of your eyes. Sunglasses that provide good sun protection will also help to protect the delicate skin surrounding the eyes from premature wrinkles and skin cancer. All the way around, a good pair of sunglasses is an investment well worth the money. Your eyes deserve good sun protection.

Answer 2

First, you need a complete and detailed exam by an ophthalmologist and a retinal specialist, if you have not had both already. For some people, photophobia is normal, but it can be the warning sign for oncoming serious eye problems.

A solution that may be 'the answer' can be a custom prosthetic lens- this is like a coloured contact but usually quite larger (as they are generally used to mask eye deformities) and custom-fit to your own eye- you select the size of the iris, the exact mm of the pupil, and of course the colour you want your 'new eyes' to be. These will only work during the day time, though- the limited pupil size can be TOO limiting to see at night. However, because you'll have a normal or even smaller-than-normal pupil, you should find relief during the day. CIBA vision has an in-stock selection of their 18 most 'popular' fittings for prosthetics- these take a week to ship. Any other lens will take at least two months, I'm afraid. CIBAs do not, however, have any tinting over the pupil- you'd have to look elsewhere for that if you felt you really needed it, possibly getting them tinted at separate location- the equipment is somewhat rare. One successful example is the use of red central contact lenses primarily for patients with achromatopsia by the low vision centers of Indiana.

Indoors, at least in your house, there are modifications you can make to adjust better. Buy dark curtains. Use dimmers on your lightbulbs, or buy coloured ones (amber is very popular for this purpose, both soothing and easy to see, not bright), dim the tv, dim your computer monitor, tape over any LED lighting (you think it wont make a difference, but it does!)

However, the most important option for light-sensitivity is still, I'm afraid, sunglasses. Because of your varied needs in different lighting, you're going to want sunglasses that 'fit the brightness' of the environment you're in- which is why I VERY strongly recommend purchasing NoIR medical's sunglasses (which you can buy from http://noir-medical.com/ or calling 800-521-9746 ) - If you check out the catalog, I strongly suggest buying at LEAST three pairs from any colours you find attractive (amber is good for general use- smooth colour, good colour transmission, nice light filtering, I'd suggest it, grey/green 1% is very dark but ugly in it's rendered colours, red can be soothing but distorts colour vision- it might work for some applications, but you can't drive wearing them, plum is alright but too bright for me even in it's darkest offering. Grey, of course, is a good general option.)  

For night-time driving, I strongly suggest purchasing a pair (possibly the lightest tint) of yellow sunglasses from them- they can make all the difference.

The ones you wear outdoors in daylight should be in the 'infared' line (which usually filter UV, blue light, and infared), the ones indoors can be in the 'uv protection' line. I strongly suggest the #35 wrap-around frame, but you can also purchase the more-fashionable (but less snuggly fitting) #200 wrap-around.

I cannot stress enough how much NoIR is helpful when you're sensitive to light- the reps are great about returning glasses, so you're free to exchange the same pair ten times until you find the right colour and level of darkness, and if you break it later, they've always replaced them free for me. I cannot suggest anyone more.

I hope this helps!

Answer 3

You can get contacts that will act like sunglasses. They block out the excess light, but don't tint your vision. I've recommended those to lots of patients with photophobia (sensitive to light). Go to the eye doctor and ask about them!

Answer 4

Get transition lenses. You can wear them everywhere and they change with the light and have UV protection.

Answer 5

i have the same problem my doctor told me even to wear sun glasses at night for the on coming traffic i get blinded i don't know what else to do i have tried that and my sunglasses just get fogged and then i cant see anything................................... say that people with lighter eyes have lighter pigments and are suceptiable to light even at night are your eyes light ?